Braided Roses
by Mama Bunny
Summary: University student with a major in Aeronautics and a minor in Musical Theater, Cantirena Highwind, ends up living with not just her father and her cousin but with an astronomy professor, a medical student, and others simply by happenstance! Hilarity and mystery ensue! Massive fandom crossover including Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, Suikoden, and more!
1. Episode 1 - Professor

**Braided Roses**

Disclaimer: Various fandoms show up in here. I plan to bring more in over time.

Notes: This is inspired by an RP between friends. As I'm rewriting my own vision for it, I've changed a few details. I've had friends wanting me to make my own take on the harem anime style story for a while. So. I'm combining both ideas to make something of a romantic comedy. I have no idea how long this'll stick around. I don't know how serious it is for me, either. Might do a one-shot, might do a glorious 50 chapter epic. I honestly have no idea. Depends on how I like it. Not how YOU like it. How I like it. Just to be clear.

FIC START!

Episode 1 - Professor

Canti had been trying to mend a skirt for the past few hours. The thing wasn't exactly ragged, but parts of the hem had come out over many years of wear and tear. She sat on her bed with a sewing kit open on her bed, concentrated on it, though it was easy to be distracted. Every loop she made with her thread, her eyes wandered over to her phone or the posters on her wall. Her father was going to make her throw it out if she didn't fix it, so she wanted to fix it. It was the most comfortable skirt she owned. She put the needle into a pin cushion for a moment, adjusting the headband in her hair to keep her curls from falling once again in her face, pressing on her phone to start playing music. Then she picked the needle back up. The moment she had a perfect loop - ready to pull it taunt and seal this one part of the hem, the doorbell rang and she was so knocked out of what she was doing that she crashed onto the floor with all of her sewing kit strewn everywhere.

"Papa! Would you get the door?!" she yelled out. Ugh, she was annoyed all ready. This just was simply unfair. "Kain?!"

No answer from either, and the doorbell rang again.

With a grunt, Canti put down her needle and old favorite skirt, turned off the music on her phone, and headed out of her bedroom to go see whatever salesman had come to bother. She was ready to give them an earful, full of all sorts of language her father would scold her for using. Oh, she was ready to rip right into them, and right now, she was really going to enjoy it. Just as soon as she opened the door.

"All right," she said, unlocking it and pulling it open. "Whatever you're selling, we're not interested."

"I consider myself lucky that I'm not a salesman," the voice on the other side of the door said quietly. "I would be treated so rudely, going from door to door, only to be met with rudeness. People having to deal with that simply have more paitence than I do."

Canti finally decided to actually look out there to see who was standing on their front porch. There stood a man at least a foot taller that her, and that wasn't counting his beautiful multilayered, multicolored hair that not only fluffed up higher than she believe was possible, but also down into a long braid that swung around his hips. "This is a surprise," she said. "What brings you around here, professor?"

The professor reached into the pocket of his button up shirt, beneath his jacket. He pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, presenting it to her.

She unfolded the paper, instantly recognizing it. "Oh..." she said. "...I posted these all over town a few days ago. A-are you here to inquire about... renting a room?"

"I am."

"But... don't you have a place to live? Your family is... wealthy, from what I understand."

"I'm afraid that is not the case any longer, Miss Highwind," he answered. "Political nonsense you wouldn't understand aside, I've been cast out from the family entirely. I seek a place to live while I work and continue my meager existence."

"I don't mind it, but it's not entirely my decision," she replied honestly. "Would you like to come in and sit down?"

"If I may."

Canti stood to the side, holding the door open to let him come into the family room. It was a simple room with the furniture any other family would have. Two couches, a recliner, a television and other entertainment things. The walls were decorated with pictures of family and various framed pictures. Right across from that, without a wall, was the kitchen. As Canti had him sit down, she reached over to the fruit basket, picked up a pear and headed through the hallway to go and see where the rest of her family was. She bit into it, checking both of their rooms. Nope. She headed to the garage and opened the door, taking another bite of her pear. "Where are you two?!"

Both Cid and Kain looked up from where they were working on a truck with the hood held up. They were both covered in motor grease and sweat, smelling of the machines they had their hands in all day. The music playing on the radio was turned up loud, playing hard rock from days long ago. She instantly recognized the song as one the radio station they'd been listening to since they moved here had played at least once every day. It was quite clear they were absorbed in their work.

"Is something wrong?" Kain asked.

"No, but... we have a possible tenant," she said. "I told him to sit in the living room and wait until we're all ready. I can't believe you two didn't hear the doorbell go off twice."

"So, who is he?" Cid asked, pulling himself away from the pickup truck. He reached over to one of his shop rags and roughly wiped off the grease from his hands. Not that it did much good. It was stuck in all the nooks and crannies of his skin and between his nails. Canti was used to seeing her father's fingers like that, and now that she thought about it, her fingers were going that way, too.

"He's a professor up at the school I'm in," she said nervously. She really didn't want to tell them that she attended his class. "A very classy kind of person."

"That sounds like he won't be a pain in the ass to live with," Kain said. "Last thing I want is more annoying roommates."

"Are you saying I'm annoying?!" she instantly retorted.

"No. But one is more than none," Kain replied, heading over to wash his hands.

"A classy guy won't wanna see us all covered in grease," Cid said, looking at his overalls. "Let me change and I'll be right there. You go keep him company. Who knows what he thinks, being left alone like this."

"Don't take forever. Either of you. This decision is between all of us," Canti said, turning to leave. She headed back through the halls to head back to the living room. She wasn't exactly dressed to handle people in her house, especially someone that was usually in a position of authority over her in her daily doings. Seeing the professor take an interest in the fact that they had so many open rooms for rent wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with. But if he was thrown out of his home because of political things, she did feel sorry for him. And, he was such a quiet person that he couldn't be that hard to live with. What was he going to do? Plan lessons and grade assignments until they were all sick of him? If anything, he might grow burnt out from her family's ruckus instead. Once she came back into the living room, she found the professor standing there, looking at the pictures on the wall. "I'm so sorry for taking this long. They were out in the shop."

"You don't have to be so hasty for me," he answered, turning around. "Today is a day off. I have nothing but time on my hands."

"So, _uhh_. When exactly were you kicked out of your house?"

"Last week."

"...where have you been staying since?"

"My car."

"Professor?!" she gasped, shaking her head.

"Do not be concerned. It really is none of your business."

"You're right, but at the same time, we all ready have a sort of bond because of school. Just because you're my instructor doesn't mean that I can't worry for you," she answered. "It may just be a working relationship, but it is a relationship nonetheless." What was taking them so damn long? "I will do what I can to help you, even if something prevents you from staying here."

"It is not your place-"

"I don't care."

He stared at her. That defiant face. He couldn't help the feelings that arose from him as he locked eyes with her. While his eyes did not show her how he felt, her eyes were the gateway to her soul. Her emotions were not hidden from him. How he hated pity, he hated forced charity. He wanted none of those things, and yet, here were these beautiful eyes that were full of nothing but a wish to help him. Those eyes, that face, that heart. "...I thank you for your offer, regardless of how things turn out."

Soon Cid came through the hall, holding a towel up to his hair. "I'm so sorry it took me a while to get here," he said. "I didn't think you wanted to deal with me all covered in motor oil and grease, so..." He stopped when he noticed who was sitting on the couch across from where he was standing. It took him a moment before he could gather his words. He wasn't sure if he was insulted or offended, but whatever he was feeling, it wasn't good. "Cantirena... Do you know who this man is?"

"Professor Mateus Palamecia. I know exactly who he is," she answered, not taking her eyes off of their guest.

"Nice of you to come slummin' it down here with us working folk," Cid snapped. "Where do you get off thinking that this would fly?"

"Papa!" she scolded him. "At least give him a chance!"

"And why should I? The Palamecian family's been nothing but a corrupt mess for decades. Even living out in the boonies, we felt the effect of their decisions. Why would I rent a room to a man that owns an entire estate?" Cid asked.

"You don't understand," she said, looking up at her father. "There's so much more going on than-"

"There is no need, Miss Highwind," Mateus said, shaking his head gently. "You do not have to fight your own family for my sake." He stood up and bowed his head to her just a little before turning to leave.

"Professor, please. I don't want you to continue to living in your car! At least..." she frowned as she reached out to him. For a moment she hesistated, but in another moment, she hand her hand on his arm. Canti had never touched him before, even though they had some poignant discussions in the past. "...at least let's have a discussion... if nothing else."

"...why are you... so kind to me?" he asked, taken aback by the sudden display of caring. He couldn't remember a single person ever sticking up for him back home. And here she was, a student of his, standing up to someone that she probably loved more than anyone else in the world... for him?

"My daughter is kind to everyone, even political despots, I reckon," Cid said, letting out a sigh. He wasn't going to be able to refuse her, was he? She did always seem to have the better influence on him. Maybe he'd feel better for helping even this guy. He couldn't imagine that he would, but... okay, he figured. At least hear the man out. At least give Canti that so she wouldn't be difficult later on. "Even so. Mateus, are you serious about living here, in a room in this house?"

"I am serious about finding a place to live, yes. This place would be useful, as it is close to where I work."

"There are house rules."

"To be expected, of course."

"Have you ever done chores a day in your life?"

"It's hilarious that you believe just because I come from a wealthy family that I've never done any work at all," Mateus said sternly. "Every child must have duties, lest they become priviledged snots later in life."

"I can't disagree with that rhetoric," Cid said, pointing to the fridge. "We have a chore chart. Do your part on your day, and there's not a problem. Your chore day and your cooking day will not fall on the same day, just to be fair. If you need a free day, let us know before it's set up. Also, next rule, if you set foot in my daughter's bedroom, I will see to it that your innards are turned into motor grease."

"What reason would there be to walk into your daughter's room?" he asked.

"That's a damn good question," Cid agreed.

"Papa, he's like, ten years older than me, at least," Canti stuttered, shaking her head nervously. "You don't think I'd actually-"

"...Cantirena," Cid said, putting his hand up. "I am just covering all of my bases. Let your father do his duty."

"...yes, sir," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Though, it wasn't like she didn't notice how handsome the professor was. She'd been in his class since the beginning of the quarter, and at least twice a week she listened to his intense lectures. And yes, while there were at least ten years between them in age, she considered him to be a very handsome man. Incredibly handsome. His hair, blonde with purple highlights, only added more shimmer next to wherever he was. Even in the middle of a dark classroom lit up to turn the ceiling into a makeshift planetarium, it was shiny. His eyes matched the color of his highlights, which was amazing. Where did purple eyes come from? Those couldn't be natural. It didn't matter, though. They were easy to stare into, even if incredibly hard for her to read. "Professor, you want a snack or something?"

"Thank you kindly," Mateus replied, shaking his head. "I would not impose."

"It's not imposing if I'm offering," she said.

"...he said no," Cid said. "Where is your cousin?"

"He's probably jerking off in the shower again."

" _CANTIRENA_!"

"...where's the lie?" she took another bite of her pear and shoved Cid in the shoulder. "I'll go get him." He glared at her as she got up, laughing as she headed back to the bathroom in the center of the house. She knocked on the door.

"Wh-what?!" came Kain's voice.

"You're taking too long. Papa needs your imput to decide whether we're gonna accept this guy as a tenant," she said. "So, finish her off all ready, would you?"

"Why are you always like that?" Kain asked. She heard the shower stop and his step out of the walk-in. The water slid down his body and hit the floor below. Tiny little splats. Soon he stuck his head out the door. Like the professor, Kain was a whole head taller than her. His hair, still sopping wet, was as yellow as wheat. Same as her father's hair. "Like, lay off the perverted thing. It really doesn't suit you."

"Oh. Then what does suit me?"

Kain went back in to dry off. "That look you get when you're playing with bunnies. Or when you're singing while you're hanging laundry on the line."

"Or when I completely kick your ass at Samurai Shodown!"

"...that, too, I guess," Kain said. Next time he came out, he was wearing his clothes for lounging about the house. "If you're gonna be annoying, cousin, go back to what you were doing before he knocked."

"I have to be present to make the vote."

"Uncle Cid all ready knows your vote. Hell, I all ready know your vote."

"Then what is it?"

"...you want him to stay."

"Why do you think that?"

"There's something about the way you're acting right now. That excited look in your eyes, but you're trying to act like you're calm..." he said, brushing his hair enough to pull it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. "...you only do that when you want something."

"Kain..." she blushed. It was weird just how well her cousin knew her.

"Don't worry. If it'll make you happy, I'll vote for him to stay."

"Y-you don't have to do that."

"You think I haven't done that over the years?" he asked, shrugging. "It'll only be the millionth time. It's not that big a deal." As he headed out of the hall, he planted a kiss on his cousin's forehead. "But for this one, you'll actually owe me."

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah. You have to bake me something if he stays."

"...well what do you want?"

"Carrot cake."

"But. That's so gross!"

"Exactly my point."

"Neither Papa or I will eat that."

Kain sighed. "You have to do something that isn't for your own good sometime," he said. "And I happen to like it. So."

"Fine! A small one, though." Canti shuddered as she thought about eating carrot cake. "Don't want it to mold."

"Well. What if this professor guy likes carrot cake? He's classy, so, he might be the type."

"Okay, fine, whatever. A full sized carrot cake, if he gets to stay."

"Deal." Kain immediately turned around and headed through the hall towards the kitchen. He took out a piece of leftover dragon meat pizza, not really paying attention to what Mateus and Cid were talking about. He just ate it slowly, watching how the facial expressions of the men in the living room changed back and forth between them. Fuck, even cold this pizza was fantastic. One moment was so tense, it looked as if they would break out into a battle, and in the next, they were agreeable for some reason. Well, as long as he was eating, he didn't have to say anything, did he?

"This is my nephew," Cid said, pointing at him. "Just a few years older than Canti."

Kain kept chewing his bite. He watched Mateus carefully. Tried to read his intentions as he knew he was being sized up. And the moment he was ready to swallow it, he immediately took another bite.

"I don't see any reason to refuse you staying with us," Cid said honestly. "Though I'd prefer that you didn't. The kids don't think politically, but I can't see past your last name and its legacy."

"Understood. I will go, then." Mateus began to stand up again. "Thank you for your time."

Kain tossed the crust of the pizza into the trash can and wiped his face. "No, no, no," he said. "That's not what he's telling you. Just because the house is in his name doesn't mean he calls all the shots himself anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"We're all adults, so we make big decisions with a vote," Kain explained. "And we all know Canti's vote."

"Do we?" Cid asked.

"Yeah. If she didn't want him here, she wouldn't have even told us about him," he said. "Think about it for a minute, Uncle Cid. It's crystal clear."

Cid nodded, though he didn't want to agree to that. "You know my vote, so it's your decision, then..." He rolled his eyes. "And I know how you vote, you little-"

Mateus watched as the family bickering went back and forth for a few moments. Perhaps living under the same roof as his favorite student wouldn't be a great idea after all. Would he be able to put up with all this nonsense constantly? Was she worth it? Until she walked back in the living room and caused both Kain and Cid to shut their mouths just by standing there and staring at them with this particularly entrancing look in their eyes. She had a presence in that moment, one that he couldn't help but be attracted to. Her back was straight, and while the air moved around the curls atop her crown, she stood still. There was a sense of authority in her glare, as if she had enough of them acting like such brats. Yes. Yes, this was worth it. To see her like this on daily basis was entirely worth it.

"So," Canti approached him, suddenly ignoring the squabble behind her. "Can I help you carry in your things?"

"Why would you-"

"The truth is," she whispered, "as much as I like being helpful, right now I just want to piss them off."

He was taken aback by that comment. "I'm afraid I don't understan-"

"You don't have to understand it right now," she said quietly, looking right up at him. Her eyes glimmered as he looked into them. Her soul was the purest he'd ever encountered. It was odd. He considered the idea of not trying to claim her as his own for a brief moment. She was far too gentle of a soul to fall into the pit that was his dark desires, or she would be forever changed, almost like that of his own mother. How could she wear her heart so openly like that? Did she not realize there were many that would take advantage of her honesty? The more of herself she revealed, the easier it would be to manipulate her... "Maybe after you live with us a while, you'll understand. Maybe... I can teach you."

"The only thing I can say about this experience is that it will be of the learning variety," Mateus replied as he watched Canti step between the two other members of her family and cause them to knock it off all ready. He noticed that while on the college campus, she seemed a bit more timid, but while here in the house, she seemed to have a commanding presence. It almost annoyed him for a moment, this lack of authority.

"Yeah, first lesson," Kain said. "My cousin here's pretty much the princess of the castle."

" _Whaaaaaaaaat_ ," Canti disagreed. "No I'm not. I'm stuck cooking most days unless there's too much homework, and then Papa just gets takeout instead of cooking."

"Hey, it says that I just have to provide food that day. Doesn't say I actually have to prepare it myself," Cid said, shrugging.

"Papa, you are so grounded."

"You don't get to ground me, I'm twenty years older than you... at least."

"Whoa, going senile there, Uncle Cid? Gonna have to start callin' you Grandpa."

"Not until I get some grandbabies, you're not."

"I'm not having kids," Canti said, shaking her head. "Yeeeah, no."

Mateus honestly had no idea what to make of this. "...I still don't know if I'm allowed to move in."

"Did your family never crack a joke?" Cid asked. "Yes. Rent's due in exactly one month. Canti, dear, if you would please, help him pick a room."

Canti nodded, motioning for Mateus to follow her. "Follow me~" The hallways were just as decorated as the living room was. All sorts of posters of flying machines and framed family pictures. What a family legacy. She stopped in front of a door with a carved wooden plate on it. "The door with the moon on it, that-"

"Is yours," the professor finished her statement.

"How'd you know that?"

"I've known you since the beginning of the year, Miss Highwind. Almost everything you own is adorned in cresent moons. Even this," he pointed at her shoulder where her birthmark looked very much like a crescent moon. "I am not surprised you have an infatuation with astronomy."

"I didn't realize you paid so much attention to me," she looked away, blushing. Something in her was flustered with that realization. "I didn't think anyone paid that much attention to me."

"Do not sell yourself too short," he said. "What of these other doors?"

"That one," she answered. "The one with a dragon on it belongs to Kain." It was right across the hall from hers. "And the one with the rocketship on it is my father's, but that's closer to the garage, since he uses it sort of as a half office. There are three bathrooms. One is Papa's, connected to his room. One of them is, well, mine. Kain uses it sometimes since it's right here, but..."

"I understand," he said. "May I have the room here?" He walked to the door right next to hers, just down to the left.

"I don't see why not," she said. "Though... I'll warn you. I listen to a lot of music. Probably too loudly. At every opportunity I can."

"You're always singing. I'm not surprised to hear that you listen to music often."

"I'm just saying you might not like it. My tastes are... different..."

Mateus nodded. "Very well..." He didn't want to appear as if he'd been stalking her, so he didn't continue with more details. He knew about her favorite songs and had looked them up in his free time to see what he could learn about her. He knew about her taste for musicals and rock power ballads. "...allow me to bring my things."

"Do you need any help? I'll give my cousin a kick in the ass just in case he needs motivation to move."

"I do not possess many things," he answered, turning away. "Is the room locked?"

"Nope," she said, turning to go back in her room. "If you need any help, just say so."

"Thank you kindly for your consideration."

Canti went back into her room, only to be greeted by her phone having shown multiple missed calls and text messages. She swiped through the texts, finding some from her friends at school. Hector wanted to confirm them hanging out sometime, the leader of the gaming club wanted to set up something for all the members, and a few others. Not that bad, though it was weird to have gotten so many during that short time. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to reply to any of them. Until another ping came along. From Hector, again? Why?

 _"Hey Canti. Some dude's up here askin' around after you."_

She wrote back to him quickly. _"Who?"_

 _"Has money and an accent. Dunno him, tho."_

Canti thought about it for a moment. Who would have an accent Hector didn't know that walked around like he was made of money? That would know her? She didn't have a lot of rich friends, not since... high school, anyway. Suddenly she gasped. Could it be...? As she grit her teeth, she wrote back to Hector. _"Send him here. I'll deal with him."_

 _"You really want some rich dude at your house?"_

 _"I don't want some dude asking after me and causing a scene, Hector. Tell him where I am and I'll deal with him."_

 _"You sure your dad won't murder him?"_

 _"I don't fucking care."_

 _"Ok ok. I'll tell him."_

She put the phone back on her nightstand, crossing her arms. A few moments later, her cousin stuck his head in the door. "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm great!" she said, giving him an almost demented smile. "I'm about to take care of something that's been needing to be resolved for a while."

"You look like you're gonna murder someone..."

"I'm not gonna murder anyone, Kain. You know me better than that."

"...You'll make them wish they were dead," he grunted. "You're a twisted woman, Canti."

She let out a laugh, almost demonic. "I'm gonna rip his guts out..."

"You're serious."

"If Papa ever finds out, he'll murder him, too."

"So he's harasser, is he?" Kain asked. "I will help."

"No," she said. "This is... mine to deal with."

"As a family, our hands aren't exactly clean, y'know," Kain said. "I'd rather not burden you with-"

Canti pushed her away out of her bedroom and shut her door behind her, glaring at her cousin. Her closest friend, her cousin that felt much more like a brother. She loved him immensely, but sometimes he just wanted to be overprotective. "It's not your decision, Kain. I have to deal with my own problems, okay?"

"If you'd tell me what happened-"

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

She snatched him by his long ponytail and pulled his ear closer, whispering into it, "...if Papa finds out I had a secret boyfriend in high school, he's gonna blow a fuse..."

Kain gasped. "...fuck."

"My point exactly. And this guy is up at the school today, asking around about me. I got three texts from three different friends of mine, telling me that some... stalker-"

Mateus walked into the hall, carrying a stack of boxes in his arms, not having heard another word previous to that. He suddenly was trying to think of literally any defense he could. Was he found out this soon?!

"-is going around up there, bothering them, looking for me," she continued.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Kain asked, helping Mateus by holding open his door.

"I told my friend to tell him to come here."

"That's the worst idea ever. Like. The worst idea. Ever."

"I'm not going up there and causing a scene," Canti said. "I'll deal with him here that way I can put an end to this bullshit."

Mateus cocked his head to the side. "What troubles you, Miss Highwind? I am not privy to the rest of your discussion-"

"-and you don't need to be," Kain said abruptly. "You tend to what you're doing."

"I'm gonna wait on the porch, and when he gets here, I'm gonna take the old propeller on the porch and run it through his guts!" she said.

"I cannot say that is appropriate," Mateus said. He turned to Kain. "You may wish to confine her to her own room for now and you stand guard against this... stalker."

"That would be smarter," Kain said. "Okay, cousin. You're super grounded."

"You can't do that-"

"I just did."

"You're so full of shit."

Kain shoved her back into her room and locked the doorknob from the outside. "I'll go wait on the porch, then. I'll deal with this before she murders the guy."

Mateus let out a sigh. "I had no idea her temper was so explosive and..."

"...violent?"

"Yes."

"Canti can be... difficult. Usually, she's a gentle soul and kind to everyone. But the moment she's ticked off, she falls into an evil mindset. She can be cruel to people she's mad at. She goes 180 degrees the moment her temper snaps," Kain explained. "You don't wanna know how many doctors she's had to see because of it..."

"Duly noted."

"If she starts to throw a fit, just ignore her."

"She's not going to do that, is she?"

"...she might."


	2. Episode 2 - Exboyfriend

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: All the fandoms. Mostly Final Fantasy. But all my fandoms are in here. I don't own them. I just own the plot. Which isn't much considering it's SELF-fanservice. But I don't care what you think about it.

Notes: Based on an RP between friends, just twisted to suit my own purposes. Whether you like or or not is of little consequence. It shall happen regardless. That's how I operate.

FIC START!

Episode 2 - Ex-boyfriend

Canti couldn't believe it. Locked in her own room like this! The last time someone locked her in her room was... she stopped to think about it. Exactly what was it? Oh, right... never! That's when! She pulled at the doorknob for a while, and occasionally pounded on it with a few "let me out"s, followed by a few dozen death threats, and at least two threats of arson. Though when she stopped concentrating on just how mad she was, she reached underneath her bed to pull out her toolbox. If she wasn't going to be able to break out, at least she could unscrew the doorknob right off the door and go out that way. Kain wouldn't be expecting that! Then not only could she disembowel that ass, she could also tell her cousin to go, in not so many words, fuck himself with a rusty propeller.

"Miss Highwind... you've caused me to worry," came the professor's voice on the other side of the door.

"This does not concern you," she said, matching the screwdriver to the type of screw in the door.

"You told me less than an hour ago that just because I am your teacher does not keep you from worrying over me," he said again. His voice was smooth as always. She had listened to that voice lecture on everything from stardust to myths regarding the constellations. At no point was he ever giving her practical advice or comfort, as she had never taken those sorts of problems to him. "I must apologize if I seem too forward, as now that you do not seem to be afraid to show that you care about my well being, but I feel as if I must do the same for you."

"I appreciate your concern, professor, but-"

"I know what you're doing."

"Do you?"

"You plan to remove the doorknob that prevents your exit. You live in a house full of mechanics, so I do believe you have your own toolbox." He paused before he asked, "Am I wrong?"

She stopped what she was doing, putting the screwdriver down. "...no. You aren't wrong," Canti confessed.

"Such a predictable girl you can be," Mateus said quietly, imagining that she was sitting there with a pouty face on the other side of the door. She must have had her arms crossed in a show of defiance that he could not see. "You need to better control yourself."

"You think a million shrinks haven't told me that?!" she snapped. "It's so difficult..."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know why," she said, putting the screwdriver in her toolbox. "It's like... something takes over when I get mad. I don't know what it is."

"Is that why your father and cousin both simply allow you to have your way most of the time?"

Canti pushed the toolbox away and hugged her legs to herself. "It might be."

Mateus silently went back to the room he had chosen as his own to unpack his things. He reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a tiny notebook full of scribblings and wrote down a few things before putting it back into his pocket quickly. While he preferred how quiet it was back where he had lived his life up until this point, he had some appreciation for the activity in a place like this. He couldn't take his mind off of her. Perhaps it was the fact that she was leaning against their shared wall, fidgeting as if she couldn't quite hold still. She must have wanted to throw a fit.

Cid walked through the hall, passing by Mateus' open door. He stopped when he noticed that Canti's door was locked and went to unlock it himself. He opened the door to find Canti balled up against the wall. "...all right," he said, sitting down in front of her. "What's going on? Why did Kain lock the door?"

"I was about to lose it," she said. "I was... thinking about killing someone again..."

He sighed. "I don't like the idea of you spending the rest of your life in prison. I don't think you do either. That's exactly what would happen if you were to follow through with those feelings."

"But I don't know what to do when I feel this way..."

"I know. You just have to fight the urge. Think about something else."

"Papa, you don't get it," she looked up at him.

"What is there that I don't get?"

"Do you ever feel like there's a demon inside you, just waiting for the chance to come out?" she asked. "The moment you lose control of yourself, the demon bears its claws."

"Sort of. You know I fought against my addictions back around the time I found you," Cid answered. "Wasn't easy. That's a demon that I have to fight against all the time. It wants nothing more than to take over me again. Once an addict, always an addict, they say."

"I don't mean like your drugs. This is... something else..."

Kain came up to the open door. "Yo. Cousin."

"I'm gonna kick your ass," she said, immediately coming to her feet.

"You aren't thinking of killing Kain, are you?"

"No," both the cousins said at the same time. "This is something else entirely."

"I hear that a lot here lately," Cid said. "The way you're dressed, I'm assuming you're going out?"

"Nah," Kain said. "Having a visitor."

"There's been too much company today," Canti grunted. "So. Are you going to stand in my way, Kain?!"

"I would never dare," he said. "Though if you do anything more than breaking the bastard's nose, I might have to step in. I just needed you to calm down. That's the only reason I locked the door."

"Bullshit."

"I'm being honest."

"Yeah, okay, sure," she shoved him to the side. "Wait on the porch. I'll be out in a minute."

"Done." Kain said, turning to leave.

"Are you going to explain what the hell is going on?" Cid asked. "What exactly did I miss?"

Canti picked up some clothes and pushed him out of her room to shut the door so she could dress herself. "Papa, will you just let me handle my problems on my own?"

"Kain's involved."

She opened the door. The girl dressed very quickly. "I didn't want him to be. He's only there to prevent a murder. But this is something that I need to do." Before she headed out, she knocked on Mateus' door to catch his immediate attention. "Do you have a moment?"

"For you, yes," he replied. His hands were on his laptop, still typing while turned to look at her.

"I just... wanted to thank you..." she said. "For stopping me from making the situation worse."

He didn't know exactly how to respond to that. Should he offer more advice, or act impartial? He couldn't tell what would have seemed the most appropriate. "You need not thank me. After all you've done for me today, I only felt I should return the kind gesture."

She blushed, fiddling with the braid on the left side of her face for a moment. "Oh... well. Thank you." Canti turned away and headed the way Kain did just a few moments ago.

Cid cocked up an eyebrow as he watched her walk away, and then he gave a death glare to Mateus. "I don't know what line you might have crossed..." he said through grit teeth, "...but I get the feeling you crossed it bigtime."

Mateus turned back to his laptop. "Forgive me for noticing your daughter's temper and convincing her not to take the doorknob off of her door so she could go on a violent rampage. Oh, overprotective adopted father, forgive me for having potentially saved your house from being burnt to the ground."

Cid was almost determined to kick him right the hell out of his house this very moment, but he walked away from the hall and back through to get to his own room. He sat down at his desk, going through all sorts of paperwork. He was going to have to do something else to make ends meet. Times were going to get harder, since there were less orders here lately. If they were going to keep the house, there was a lot that needed to be done. Putting up with tenants that frustrate him momentarily was nothing, if it meant he could allow the heirs of the family to have a forever home. It was bad enough that he had spent nearly everything invested within the Highwind Motors shop into the house, to boot. He grabbed his notebook, cracking it open. It was full of drawings of an invention that he'd been working on for the last ten years. Ever since he saw a whole ripped through the sky and discovered an abandoned little girl underneath it, he'd been working on it. His secret studies weren't just to save the Highwind Motors.

"...Canti," he whispered, picking up his pencil. "I know why. I don't know everything, but I hope to..."

* * *

Kain and Canti sat upon the porch swing, both of them with their phones in their hands and headphones plugged into them. They watched the street in front of the house with such intensity. Any slight movement in any blade of grass caught their attention. There was a sense of foreboding, a sense that something approached. Together they waited there, waiting for this to all happen. The sooner it all happened, the sooner it would be over.

A very fancy car pulled up on the side of the yard, parallel parking right next to the grass. A young man got out. Both of the cousins watched him. He was dressed really well. This person was made of money. They thought the Palamecian family of politicians carried their wealth, but no. This guy had hair that must have taken hours to perfectly die each and every strand just a bit differently, even if it was short. Kain would have made a boyband joke, but Canti would have probably blackened his eye for that comment. He wore a type of shoe neither of them had seen before that tied back on the heel. As he got closer, they could see his eyes. Hazel. Clear. Completely having confidence in himself, based on that smile that cracked as he walked up the side of the driveway.

Canti immediately stopped her music and slid her headphones off. Yeah. That looked just like she remembered him, though he was older. She damn near growled. Kain pulled the earbuds from his ears, whispering for her to wait here. She nodded without saying anything else.

"Excuse me," the visitor said, "Is this the Highwind residence?"

"If it is?" Kain asked, stopping him from getting any closer to the house.

"I would like to speak to Cantirena."

"Why?"

"Why _not_?" the visitor asked. "I knew she applied to enroll at Daigaku University. She told me that the last time we spoke, you see."

"Exactly when was that?"

"A few years ago... Who are you to be the Highwind family's hound? Do you wear a collar under your sweater?"

Canti stood up, walking to the edge of the porch. "How dare you!" she shouted, causing Kain to go into a mild panic.

The visitor lit up the moment he realized who was speaking. There she was, older than the last time they had seen each other, but those blue curls still fluffed up around the nape of her neck. She did hold a bit more of a commanding presence the way she stood, and he only smiled at that. "Princess!"

"What do you want, Ffamran?!" she asked, walking off of the porch and right up to him.

"I was hoping we could continue right where we left off."

"How?!" she glared at him. "You disappeared out of my life for years, not even a goodbye from you... and you expect me to just... pick up right where we left off?"

"I am dreadfully sorry," Ffamran said. "Hear me out. Now that I've left the family to establish my own business, we're no longer in danger being together. You have to understand, Canti. I had to leave you to protect you."

She shook her head. "How can you protect anyone when you're not at their side? I was willing to put myself at risk at one point for you."

"But my father, he almost found out-"

"I don't care... you Bunansas are the worst..."

"I'm not a Bunansa anymore. You don't have to worry about that."

Canti looked at Kain. "I'm not going to break his nose."

"You had plans to break my nose?!" Ffamran asked. She was the type to make threats, but he was never the target of them before.

"No, I initially had plans to disembowl you with the propeller-" she pointed at it "-right there."

"Damn, this guy really broke your heart, didn't he?" Kain asked. "Should I dish out the punishment?"

"No... no matter what you inflict upon him, it won't be as bad as what I'm going to do right now," she said. "Ffamran. Go away."

"But-"

"Get out of my life."

"You can't really mean-"

"I really do mean it," she said sternly.

"You won't at least give me the chance to prove to you that-"

She put her hand up to cut him off. "Whatever we had before was over the moment you decided to abandon me! The moment I told you that I was planning on applying for DU, you dropped me like a rock-"

"I did it to save you! Had my father known my heart was invested in you, he would have found a way to have you killed. I had to abandon you to save you."

Suddenly she turned around. "That doesn't make it right."

"I left the family. I changed my name. I-"

"...what's your new name?" This made her curious, oddly enough. "Who are you now?"

"Balthier."

"It suits you," Canti said, letting out a sigh. She decided there was only one way she could take this. "It's nice to meet you, Balthier. Are you a student at DU, too?"

"Applying to be."

She nodded. "Perhaps I will see you there. We might have classes together."

"We might."

With that, she started to head up on the porch and go inside. Kain understood what she was doing, somewhat, though the look on Balthier's face only conveyed the fact that he was confused. Kain leaned in and said, "You should thank whatever deity you worship. I didn't expect her to do that."

"Exactly what did she do?"

"I believe she is going to mourn the death of her exboyfriend," Kain said. "Since he is no longer."

"My heart still beats..."

"Canti's weird. She heals her own way."

"So," Balthier said, reaching into his pocket. "Is... this real?" He pulled out the same flyer that Mateus had brought to inquire earlier.

"It is."

"So..."

"You want to ask that now?" Kain grunted.

"If I'm someone else now, does it matter?"

"...right now isn't a good time."

"I'll pay three times what the rent price is."

"What the fuck..."

"I'm... I love your cousin..."

"I don't care!" Kain shouted. "You don't get off the property, I'm going to beat your ass."

* * *

Canti walked back to her room slowly. She sniffled once, catching the attention of Mateus, as his door was still open. He didn't turn to see her, but he listened to her moving. She sat down on her bed, letting out squeaks. He could tell her bed was right up against the wall. And after that, she didn't move at all. He imagined that she was crying into a pillow, probably trying to bury any sound she'd make. She wasn't the type to let people see moments of weakness. He would have gotten up to check on her, but he didn't want to be too forward. That would only seem weird to everyone else in the household.

"Canti," Kain's voice said from the hall. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"...what did you say to him?" she asked.

"Nothing, really. He wanted to follow you in here, and I refused to let him," he replied. "Your home should be a safe place for you to process your feelings. There's no way you're gonna sort this out if he did that. You need time to heal. You never gave yourself the chance."

"I..." Canti got off her bed. She reached under her desk to pull out a little pink box. "...I kept all of his letters..."

"You guys were... really close, huh?" Kain couldn't believe it.

"If he hadn't left, I might have wanted to marry him," she whispered. "He was the only one that was kind to me when no one else would be at school, and-"

"Yeah..." he nodded. "Hey. You wanna do... that thing?"

She sighed. "Maybe we should..."

"Okay. You wanna go out, or you wanna do it here?"

"I don't wanna leave right now," she said.

"Then I'll go get it," Kain said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Oh, and if Hector texts you about tomorrow, tell him I'm up for it."

"Sure..."

"Remember to write it."

"It's a ritual I came up with, Kain. You surely don't think I'd forget how it works."

That word made Mateus look up from his paperwork that he had sprawled upon the box that served as his desk. Did she just say 'ritual'? He pushed his glasses up. There was more to listen to. He reached to put headphones on over his ears, leaving the ear facing the open door covered and the one facing the window open.

"I know, I know. Your coping strategies are... different. But they always seem to work for you, so I thought to encourage it," Kain said, laughing hesitantly. Man, his cousin was weird. But that didn't ever mean he didn't embrace her natural weirdness. He looked upon that sad face and felt nothing short of being compelled to bring her out of that state. "Okay, so I'm gonna run and go get that, you work on the chant."

"Yeah."

Kain ran the other way, heading towards the back of the house. Both Canti and Mateus could hear him yell for Cid and ask if he needed anything since he was gonna run out for a few minutes, and then he ran past both doors and out the front door.

Canti sat on her bed, leaning back against the wall. She had her pen and pad in her hand and scribbled down a few things. Then she crossed them out and wrote something else. Then she crossed that out and grunted at it. "It's not flowing..." she whined, flopping over to her side. "...the words just aren't coming..." She got off her bed and went to the kitchen. Even though Kain was going to get her a snack, she was compelled to eat whatever she could find. She opened the freezer, looking for a quick grab snack she could eat before her cousin got back. Nothing. Just frozen meat and veggies.

"Hey, baby girl," Cid said as he walked into the kitchen. "You okay?"

"No..." she answered. "...Kain's gone to get me the secret remedy."

"So. What are you mourning?"

"The passing of a friend..."

"Oh... here I thought you were displaying the signature signs of a breakup..." Cid said, shrugging. "Guess I didn't get it this time. You've never really clicked with others, I don't why I-"

"Papa."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I want to process my feelings first."

"All right." He reached to put his hand in her hair and ruffle it a bit. "Don't forget that I'm here for you."

"I could never forget that," she said, suddenly hugging around him as tightly as she could. "You're one of the only people who have always been here for me. Ever since..."

"Ever since?"

She shook her head. "It's not important when you started being my papa. What is important, is the fact that you are."

He laughed. "That's right!"

The front door opened and Kain walked in holding a paper grocery bag. "Did you write it?" he asked.

Canti shook her head.

"But how are you supposed to activate it without..."

She reached into her pocket again and pulled out the tiny pad of paper, then picked up a pen standing upright out of a cup on the kitchen counter near the house phone. She scribbled down a few things and said, "What I'm thinking isn't..."

"If you need to get it out, then you need to get it out," Kain said, insisting. "I don't care how dark it is. I won't have you sitting here with lingering dark thoughts that we could have expelled when we had the chance."

Canti agreed and continued writing. "It is dark."

"I figured that." Kain put the grocery bag down and got out a few bowls from the cabinet. "That's why you do this, right?"

"I wish I were angry instead of..."

"...sad."

"Totally."

Cid watched Kain as he scooped the ice cream from the bucket into the bowls he set out. "You want the candle?"

She nodded. "Yes, if you would please."

Cid went to the closet to look for it, but he didn't find it there. Funny. He could have sworn it was put in there. He went into her room and didn't find it there, either. He walked back to his own, scratching his head. Oh wait... that's where it was... Begrudgingly, he headed up to Mateus' door and knocked on it. "Excuse me," he said as politely as he could manage. "Have you gone into the closet in here at all yet?"

"I have," Mateus replied, "though I was unsure if it was being used, since I found a box in there."

"Sorry about that. I'd completely forgot about putting that box in here," Cid said. "Let me take it off your hands."

He got up to take the box out of the closet and place it within Cid's hands. "If I may inquire, exactly what is in this box? Why would it be in an empty room?"

Cid didn't know how to explain it. He didn't really understand how it all worked, honestly. "This is something my daughter uses for healing." He said, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Ah..." Mateus understood enough. It was an object used only during a ritual, and that energy should not leak into other things. That made sense. "...I do hope she is able to use this in her moment of need, then."

"It's always worked before," Cid said, nodding. "Sorry to bother you. Go ahead and use the closet. We'll find another place to put this."

He wondered how long the box had been in the closet, and for a second, wondered if he should put his items in there for a moment. "Oh, thank you... By the way, while I have you here-"

"...what?"

"How do you prefer I pay-"

"Check. Made out to me."

"Very well."

Cid didn't like holding the box. He didn't understand emotional energy or whatever it was, but it didn't feel right holding it between his hands. He was quick to carry it back to the table, where Canti set it up between the two bowls of ice cream. She lit it with a match, taking in a deep breath. "You need me out of here?" he asked.

"No..." she said. "...if you want to be here, then you can be."

Kain turned off the light so the only light in the kitchen was the fire from the candle, and then he picked up the pad she wrote on just earlier. "All right. Uncle Cid, if you're gonna stay, please stand close to the candle. If not, then go somewhere else."

"I'll stay here," Cid said, going between them.

"Okay, cousin. We ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Canti picked up her spoon and scooped up a bit of ice cream. "Start the moment I begin eating, all right?"

"Understood," he said with a nod.

She took the spoon to her mouth.

Kain looked at the pad of paper and read it off exactly as it was written.

 _"Freeze your brain._  
 _Suck on that spoon,_  
 _get lost in the pain._  
 _Happiness comes when everyone numbs,_  
 _who needs therapy?_  
 _Freeze your brain..."_

Canti felt her tears fall from her eyes, taking another bite of ice cream to prolong the brain freeze.

 _"Freeze your brain._  
 _Swim in the sugar,_  
 _get lost in the pain._  
 _Shut your eyes tight,_  
 _until you vanish from sight..._  
 _Let nothing remain!_  
 _Freeze your brain,_  
 _shatter your skull fight pain with more pain._  
 _Forget who you are,_  
 _let nothing remain..._  
 _Just freeze your brain..."_

She swallowed what had melted in her mouth as more tears fell from her eyes. She took another bite, and another, each one prolonging the forced feeling of brain freeze that much more. Eventually, as she and Kain ate their ice cream from the bowls, her tears came less and less. Her sadness seemed to evaporate a little bit with each bite she took. The moment her bowl was empty, her sadness had faded away completely.

"There," she said cheerfully, blowing out the candle. "That's that!"

Cid didn't know what to make of any of what he'd just seen. He went to go turn on the light. "...that was a ritual...?"

"Yep," she said, nodding. Kain picked up the bowls and took them to the sink to wash. "Why are you so weird right now, Papa? We did it when Uncle Richard passed for Kain."

"You did?" Cid asked.

"Mhm. We only do it when the sadness is too much to handle," she explained. "I told him about it and he decided to do it. Anything to numb the pain until the brunt of it passes."

"Better than drugs, I guess..." Cid said. "I'm heading back to my office. You two need me for anything else?"

"I don't think so," Kain said. With the dishes done and the candle put away, he didn't know what else to do, either.

"You have work to do?" Canti asked. "Seems like you always have work to do here lately."

"I know, but I'm on the edge of a breakthrough," Cid said. "Don't worry. It'll change our lives for the better. I promise." He kissed her forehead. "That really helps, doesn't it? You seem to be back to your normal self, like it didn't even happen. Almost like magic."

"Oh. Papa, don't be silly," she scoffed. "Magic is for fantasy books and video games. Not real life."

"Right," he agreed, smiling. "Okay, kids. I'll leave you two to... what you do."

"I still have to finish hemming my skirt," Canti said, heading back to her room. "All this... people-ing I've had to do has kept me from it..."

"You sure you don't wanna play a few rounds of Smash before you do that?" Kain asked.

"...that's... what we did... last time..."

"It is!"

"Okay," Canti said, clapping her hands a few times. "I'm gonna kick your ass, cousin! Here comes the master of Princess Zelda herself!"

"Oh shit, you got her started," Cid said. "I better leave, quick..."

"Yeah, Uncle Cid. I'll handle this," Kain said. "You know that I am the mighty wall of Bowser, and I do not get KO'd easily by lightweight flimsy easily-breakable princesses!"

"Oh ho ho ho ho..." she said. "...you better be ready for the Goddess Hylia incarnate!"

Cid walked briskly back to his room. He was relieved as fuck that their new tenant was quiet. He didn't so much as make any noise, except for the click-clacking of his fingers upon his laptop keyboard. Must have been that fancy pair of headphones he was wearing. What did a person like that enjoy listening to, anyhow? Classical music, maybe? Cid didn't mind that himself every now and then, but he had to be in the mood for it. Soon he heard his phone ringing from down the hall and ran back to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Cid Highwind, I wish to discuss with you this... device you've been working on here lately..."

"Who is this?"

"Someone interested in making your family very wealthy, if you choose to embark on a little business venture."

"...I'm listening..."


	3. Episode 3 - Personal Trainer

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: ALL MY FANDOMS WILL MERGE TOGETHER, MUHUHAHAHAHA

Notes: I just realized upon finishing this chapter that I've started shipping something weird, and... I like it. I normally would never ship them, but... I like it a lot. SO IT STAYS.

FIC START!

Episode 3 - The Personal Trainer

Sunday morning meant that Canti could sleep in as late as she wanted. She had been up all night last night. Half the night was playing Super Smash Brothers with her cousin, and the other half she was alone in her room. She read some comics, she went online to look up naked pictures of her favorite fictional heroes and villains, and jammed to music on her headphones. She didn't bother anyone, and no one bothered her. A glorious Saturday night. However, now was Sunday, and it was the day of rest. It was the day where she didn't have to do any chores, any cooking, fucking... anything. She was buried under her blankets woven to look like the night sky, nestled between all her bunny plushies and pillows, comfortable. Relaxed.

And then it was all interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.

She didn't even move. She might be awake, but fuck if it she was going to get out of bed this goddamn early. Just pretend like she's asleep. Just ignore it.

"Miss Highwind, I've prepared breakfast."

Suddenly she pulled back her blanket. That was the professor's voice! What? Had Papa Cid made the cooking and chore chart all ready? Eager to put the new tenant to work, was he? She looked over at her nightstand to see her clock. It wasn't unreasonably early, but it also wasn't noon. She scratched in a few places before deciding not to be the rudest bitch she'd ever known. Of course, having breakfast made for her by someone some devilishly handsome wasn't something she could easily turn down. "Oh, thank you," she said, going up to her door. She pulled it open, but just enough to look through the door at him. "Sorry, I'm not entirely decent at the moment, if you'll give me a bit."

"Take your time." She heard him step away.

Canti immediately reached for a pair of pants and put on her slippers, then stepped out. Her hair was a complete jaggy mess, her eyes had massive bags underneath. She needed a shower to get off all her late night sweat. When she came into the kitchen, she found Mateus standing there wearing an apron the same color as his eyes. He'd been up a while, clearly. "So... why did you make breakfast this morning?"

"I was hungry," he said. "But then I thought perhaps you all might be in the mood for chocolate chip pancakes, so I made three more stacks."

"You... made..." she sat down at the island counter in the center of the kitchen and he placed a plate in front of her. Four extremely fluffy, incredibly smelling chocolate chip pancakes stacked on top of it. "...my... favorite...?"

"I didn't know they were your favorite breakfast," he answered smoothly.

"They have been ever since I was little," she said. It reminded her of one of the first memories she had in life. Cid found her alone, lost and scared. The first thing he did for her was take her home and make her pancakes. Because every kid liked pancakes, she remembered him saying. It was the first food she remembered eating, ever. And it symbolized comfort and always warmed her heart every time she ate them ever since. She just stared at the plate in disbelief, overwhelmed at all the feelings this brought up. "That's really nice of you. Seriously. Thank you."

"Do not wait on ceremony," he said. "If you're going to eat them, don't let them get cold. That is the best way to show a chef your gratitude."

"You're right," she agreed, picking up a fork. Didn't take her long to dig in. Cosmos damn it all, they were the best chocolate chip pancakes she'd ever eaten in her life. "Okay, you have to share this recipe. These are fantastic. Absolutely fantastic."

"Thank you kindly," Mateus said gently. He flicked his wrist a certain way while holding the pan, flipping the pancake in the air. It twirled around and landed right back in the pan. She couldn't look away. Not only was he drop dead gorgeous, not only did he have one of the sexiest voices she'd ever had the pleasure of listening to, but he could cook. And cook well. And make pancakes as fluffy as the clouds in the sky.

"Did you tell everyone else? Pancakes are... Kain's favorite food."

Kain stuck his head in the room, his hair pulled up into a ragged man-bun. "Oh shit, what." He walked around the bar, staring at the spread. He fucking loved pancakes. He ate them at every opportunity possible. And they smelled so good. He was drooling. But he wasn't really all that keen on eating something Mateus made. "Okay, so, how does some swanky guy like you know how to make commoner food?"

"KAIN!" Canti shouted.

"Shut it, cousin," Kain grunted. She was ready to slap his face off for that.

Mateus sighed. "You must have incredible misconceptions about what the wealthy eat, Kain. I grew up eating pancakes, the same as you."

"Oh my Cosmos, Kain..." Canti rolled her eyes. "If you're not gonna be thankful that we're not eating cold cereal again, then you don't have to eat it."

Kain snatched up a plate. "Hector's coming over later," he said quietly.

"You'll get sick if you work out after eating that," Canti said. "You're gonna throw it all up."

"I really don't care," he said, stomping off back to his room. "Oh. Right. Uncle Cid's gonna be busy all day, so..."

"What?"

"Yeah. Said he had to go talk out a business deal."

"On Sunday?" her eyes narrowed. "What's Papa really up to?"

Mateus nodded. "No, that is right. He said he had business. Left as I started cooking. Even thanked me on his way out."

"Weird. He never works on Sunday... that's the whole family's day of rest. He said it was Mama's rule."

"Aunt Shera's not here anymore," Kain said quietly. "So it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does matter," she insisted. "He enforced the Sunday rule since-"

"Sorry, cousin," Kain went into the room and shut the door.

She frowned, slowly going back to her stack of pancakes.

"Miss Highwind..."

"If you're worried about me, you don't have to," she said. "Just feels like everything is changing on me."

Mateus sat down across the table from her. "Is that entirely a bad thing?" he asked.

"Professor," she looked up at him. "Do you have plans for the day?"

He thought about it for a moment before he began to cut his pancakes with a knife. His table manners were very polite. He even went to place a napkin on his lap. She'd never actually see a man do that before. "No, I can't say I do."

"I have a gift certificate for the local record store. It's quick walk from here. Would you be interested in going with me?"

"Is it appropriate for me to go with you?"

"Probably not..." she said. "Though honestly I really don't care if it's appropriate or not."

"You should. The last thing I want is trouble with the family I happen to be renting a room from," Mateus said between bites. How did a person eats so slowly? He was dressed well enough to go to church, eating a food known for being messy, and still happened to the the pinnacle of presentation.

"Well, fine, if you don't wanna go with me, I'll give you the certificate and you go get something nice."

"Miss Highwind, I-"

"Can I not thank you for making pancakes this morning? That's all I want to do." she asked. "I just..."

"I did not do it for a thank you," he said curtly. "If I'm going to cook for myself, I figured to cook for everyone else."

She grunted, putting her fork down. "Fine," she said hopelessly. So much for that idea.

"However," he said. "If you wanted to spend time with me, I'm not opposed to that. I wouldn't mind picking up an album or two, but you can keep your gift certificate." Mateus looked at her, dead serious. "I'm only afraid of how it would be taken by others, particularly your family."

"If we leave after they do and come back before they get home, there wouldn't be anyone to notice," she grinned devilishly.

"Miss Highwind..."

"Also. You want to know something?" she said, shaking her head. "You calling me that makes me feel like you're my butler. I know it's because you're my instructor at the university, but at home it's so... formal."

"I should not see you as anything more than a student..."

"You live with me!" she said. "You're practically family. Give it time, and I know Papa Cid and Kain will see you that way, too. Will you still call us all by our family name when we're exchanging presents at Winter Solstice?"

"If I am an honorary member of your family, how would you rather I address you?"

"By my name."

"Miss Cantirena, then."

"Ah, no. No one uses my real name except my father," she said, annoyed. "Call me Canti, like everyone else does."

"I've never-"

"I know..." she said with a giggle. "...that might be inappropriate at school, but while we're home? You're a member of the household."

He turned his whole body to face her. "Canti, then."

"There you go," she said, nodding. "Now, how would I address you if I lived in your house?"

"The only ones that were not servants of the household were my parents, and they called me every insult they could think of," he said.

"That sucks," she grunted.

"I did not particularly enjoy living with them, regardless of how palacial the estate is," Mateus said honestly. There was no reason that he could think of to hide it. "The servants called me 'Young Master', as that's what was appropriate."

"So. That means you didn't have anyone to really come home to," she said, feeling sorry for him upon hearing that. "No one... cared."

"You'll have to forgive me, as I've always been in a formal environment."

She hesitated at first, but Canti reached for him, putting her hand on his. "No more of that. Not while you live in my house."

"As you wish."

"So. What do I call you?"

"My first name is Mateus. I don't have a nickname or anything of that nature the way you do."

"It's so sad. You know your birth parents, and they showed you no love. I don't know anything about where I'm from, and I was taken in to the Highwind family. They've done nothing but love me since Cid found me."

"... _found_ you?"

"Papa Cid said I was abandoned. He found me himself. He and Mama Shera adopted me. Their first daughter passed away."

"I see," he said. "You're blessed."

"Yes. I am. We don't have a lot of money, but we do have love. We do feel like a family." She gazed into his purple eyes. "Mateus, welcome to our home... I hope that, eventually, you'll be at home here as much as the rest of us."

"Canti, thank you," he said, cracking the most genuine smile he'd had on his face in years. "Now, how about I take care of this mess... and you get dressed."

"Dressed..."

"You invited to take me to the record store? Don't flake on me."

She nodded. "Oh, I'd never flake on you. I wouldn't dare." Canti got up and watched him for a few seconds before turning around and heading to her room to get dressed. The moment she closed her door and locked it, she felt her whole body become swept up into an overwhelming panic. This was an outing between housemates, right? This wasn't a date, was it? She hadn't been on a date in years - and there was no way that someone his age could like her. No, no, no. Her heart rate increased. She shook like crazy for a few minutes before sitting back down on her bed. This wasn't what she was expecting on a lazy Sunday. She didn't know how to process it. Why did she invite him out? Oh, right, to thank him for the pancakes, to be nice to him, but she also knew that her father wasn't going to take this lightly if he found out about it. But honestly? She went over to her closet and threw out ten different dresses, unable to pick one. But this wasn't a date. This couldn't be a date. She refused to call it a date, because that's not what it was. Oh shitshitshitshitshit...

A chime rang through the house. She instantly recognized that as the doorbell. Instantly she just grabbed the dress closest to her and threw it on, running to the front door. She pulled the door open to find Hector standing there. He towered over her in height, making her seem like nothing more than a child. He had muscles visible from underneath his dark blue tanktop.

"Hey, Canti," Hector said. They shared a high-five.

"Hector!" Canti was beaming. "I'm so glad to see you! Thanks for that text yesterday."

"Did you deal with 'im?" he asked, hugging around her.

"You know the answer to that!" she grinned.

"Yeah, I know the answer to that," he admitted, laughing. He put her down and noticed that Mateus was cleaning up the kitchen. "Whoa, is that-"

"Oh, right, meet our new tenant," she said. "This is the professor of-"

"I know who he is..." Hector grunted. "...You sure you want to rent a room to _that_ guy? I heard he's a total creeper..."

"I can hear you," Mateus replied. He was drying some dishes and putting them up in the cupboard. "Is your _brain_ all made of muscle, too?"

Kain stuck his head out of his bedroom door to see Hector standing there. He snatched up his gym bag and headed out. "Okay, Canti. I dunno when we'll be back, but it probably won't be anytime soon," he said. "So don't bother making me lunch."

"With an attitude like that, I might just eat out today so you can't come home to anything..." she said. "So you go make out with your boyfriend all day, okay? I won't tell a single soul."

"Cosmos damn it, Canti..." he stared at her intently. "...you know we're just going to work out."

"Oh, right, yeah, sure..." she rolled her eyes. "Just do me a favor and try to stay out of trouble. I don't want to get a call from a police station or a hospital telling me that you fucked yourself up doing something stupid."

He leaned in and whispered, "Remember what you owe me in exchange for yesterday."

"I think you don't deserve it right now," she whispered back.

"Dude, is she your cousin or your wife?" Hector asked, causing Kain to blush at that suggestion. "Let's go all ready. WOL is gonna fill up pretty soon, y'know!"

"Yeah," Kain said. Before he followed Hector out the front door, he pulled her in and kissed her forehead. "We might fight sometimes, but don't forget that I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, I love you, too," she said, watching them both get into a car at the end of the driveway.

"Your cousin is gay, is he?" Mateus asked. He was drying off his hands, as the rest of the kitchen was cleaned up. He pulled off the apron and hung it on the wall.

"What?" she asked, turning around to look at him. "Kain's not gay. He plays as big, muscular men in every game he plays..." she trailed off, not sure what to make of that. "...like Hector... well. That's something awkward to realize right at this particular moment... haaa..."

"Indeed," Mateus said. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Just have to slip on my shoes and grab my purse." She was quick about both tasks, not wanting to keep him ready. Was... was he all ready wearing his dress shoes? Did this man even own casual clothes?! "The record store's just around the block, right next to the library if you're interested."

"I wanted to head to the library for more research," he answered. "If you don't mind stopping there."

"Are you kidding? I have a report to do this week! I need to stop there. I might have a lot of online things to source, but they want some from actual books. You know how all that is."

"Then that'll be the second place on the itinerary today," Mateus said.

She had him step out, closing and locking the door once they were outside. "Well, then! Let's go!"

* * *

Cid Highwind sat at a table in the middle of a restaurant that he'd never eaten at because the prices were too damn high. Fifty dollars per plate was simply too much, no matter how much money he had stored away in savings. He sat right across from a man wearing a suit, with every single hair on his head slicked into place. It shined so much, it was like the man's hair had been coated in grease. It was distracting, is what it was. There must have been a need for professionalism, of course, but there had to have been another way to do it. He had been through several cigarettes all ready through this meeting, and he had no idea how much more conversation needed to happen.

"I'm sorry," Cid said. "I don't want to sell it. This is an unfinished project anyway. I couldn't sell something that could potentially hurt others simply because I'm hurting to pay bills. That blood would be on my hands."

"We would not place any blame on you if experiments went awry. You would not be the scapegoat. There's no need to be."

"So you ARE planning on testing it out."

"But of course. What else would we do with something as powerful as what you've begun building here?"

"It's not meant for..."

"Then what IS it meant for, Mr. Highwind?"

"I- I can't tell you what it's for," Cid said, shaking his head. Images of the day he discovered Cantirena abandoned out in the dark woods came to his waking memory instead of being pushed back into a place he normally didn't access. He saw it, that, that something in the sky. Like a complete rip in the fabric of reality. And she was there, crying her eyes out. Screaming words he didn't understand. He remembered walking to her, marvelling at how different she was from other children he'd known. How her eyes sparkled even in the night time. He took her to his home right then and there, no questions asked, where Shera was happy to bring her in, and when he went back to see that place, the hole in the sky was gone. Cid had been convinced the entire time that she was from the other side of that barrier, and he wanted to do all he could to give her a chance to go back there. He didn't understand what compelled him to do it, other than the fact that he wanted her to have the chance at going home. If she chose not to, that was different, but who knows how she felt being on a world that always seemed to make her the outcast? She grew up not understanding others at all, and... he didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be home, putting his feet up, watching sports on TV or the kids play on their Nintendos or whatever they were doing on a lazy Sunday afternoon. That was the tradition, that was the rule for so long. Why did he go against it today? Why was he even here? "I don't know why I agreed to meet ya'll here, it just isn't right-"

He heard clicking from the other side of the table. He knew exactly what that sound was. "Mr. Highwind, considering what you're trying to do... you might want to consider selling this to us rather than some criminals break in and steal it, potentially hurting your family. Heaven forbid someone break into your home and hurt your beloved daughter. Others have wanted the power to cross realities for quite some time. It's not just us. Dangerous people with dangerous intent are always looking for a way to leap into time's scar."

"You think by threatening the life of my daughter, that I'll let you have what you want?" Cid asked as he stood up from where he had been seated. "Oh no. Fuck that and fuck you."

"You're... risking everything out of a sense of pride, Cid."

"Oh, So NOW we're on a first name basis."

"I don't want any harm to come to your or your family."

"That's fantastic, but we can take care of ourselves." He gathered up his coat and started walking out of the restaurant. When some of the guards wanted to stop him, the leader told them to just let him pass. He walked out, just ready to be done with this cursed day all ready.

* * *

Canti loved the little machine they had set up all through the record store. If one scanned the barcodes of the albums, they could listen to samples from it. She slipped them on, loving just how comfortable they were, and held up a stack of CDs almost as tall as the rack they were stacked on. She held it up until it beeped, and then cycled through songs. A lot of them didn't hold her interest. But she wasn't afraid to try them out using this machine. It was, after all, how she discovered some of the lost groups from decades ago that she was never able to listen to on the radio. She only had enough to buy one of them, so she had to choose carefully.

Over at the rack close by, Mateus didn't really have an interest in sampling any music. He knew immediately what he was going to buy for himself, and that was that. He watched Canti be completely giddy over this. Clearly, she'd done this quite a bit. She was into it, bopping her head along with whatever she listened to, until she came to samples she didn't like and she immediately put it on the rack. Maybe not where she picked it up, but certainly a place that wasn't in her inventory. It took her a little bit, but she finally had it narrowed down to just one. That's when she turned around with the biggest smile he'd ever seen her have on her face ever since they met. Music, huh, he mused in thought. Not a difficult task at all to manipulate, once he knew exactly what got her attention.

"I've picked one out," she said. "You ready?"

"If you are."

"Sorry if I took too long. I just like to give everything a chance," she said. "Usually when I'm in here, I spend like an hour doing it, but since I came with you, I didn't grab a lot."

"Twenty wasn't... a lot?" he asked, cocking up an eyebrow.

"No. Kain refuses to come back here with me," Canti said. She started to head to the register to buy the album she held in her hand. "So thank you for keeping me company."

"You deserve company."

"That's very kind of you, but..."

"I mean it. I can tell just by watching you that you feel like you don't belong anywhere."

"Mateus, what-"

"And I want to tell you that you do."

She turned to look at him, blushing brightly. "What brought this on?!"

"I've been wanting to tell you this for a while now, but it never seemed appropriate to say anything about it," he answered. "And now that I'm standing here with you, not as just your instructor, but as..."

"...friends..." she said. "We are, aren't we?"

"Yes."

She instantly rushed to hold around him tightly, clinging him to her. It took all of her willpower to keep from crying against him. He really was taken aback by this, but he didn't make anything of it. He just returned the embrace, nestling his cheek in her fluffy blue hair. He had wanted to hold her for a while. That younger frame against his...

"You aren't alone. You have your family. And... now you have me, too. You have no reason to feel like you don't belong."

Canti pulled away from him just far enough to realize that people in the store were staring at them. "We, uhh... we might wanna go."

"I concur."

* * *

Kain felt bad for having been such a piece of shit to Canti earlier. He and Hector walked into the gym carrying their bags, with the bulkier of the two checking his watch and muttering about being late. Kain was much slower in his walk up the stairs to the front door. He decided that he'd channel his frustration with his cousin into his workout.

"Hey," Hector said. "You okay, bro?"

"Not really, but I'll be all right," he said.

They went in, seeing all the treadmills set up along the wall. There weren't very many left. Both of them signed the sheet at the front desk, went to change, and climbed onto the treadmills to get started. Hector didn't even bother warming up, he just went into a full blast run. Then again, Hector had been doing this for quite a while longer than Kain. Hell, Hector was even a part time personal trainer to pay his college tuition. Maybe he was in a constant state of being ready to work out or something.

Kain set his to start with a brisk walk to start. Let his heartbeat kick up, and then he'd go further.

"You aren't going to tell me what's wrong, are you?" Hector asked. "You didn't say a word on the way over here."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But you do. I can see it in your eyes, man. You're on the verge of tears."

"Yeah, because my fucking hip hurts."

"That's bullshit. You mad at yourself for having a fight with your cousin."

"You don't know her like I know her. On one hand, she's a kind and gentle soul, and on the other hand, she's a crazy vindictive bitch."

"I don't live with you, so it's impossible for me to understand her to the lengths that you do, but still. Family fights sometimes. I mean, look at me. I rent a room from my brother, and we fight every fucking day. Your uncle at least seems to like you."

"I am blessed, yes. I know that... but..." Kain turned his head a little to see Hector. "Guess that's why you spend so much time here. Uther doesn't make it easy on you. Him being sick all the time doesn't make it easy on him, either."

"Still." Hector pressed a button on the terminal to make it run even faster.

"Still," Kain repeated, watching Hector run even harder. There was something about that manic way of running. He wasn't doing it for his health. He could see it on his best friend's face. That's when he reached over to turn up the speed on his treadmill. Maybe if Hector was able to run away from his problems this way... maybe he could, too. Kain put every bit of his frustration into his movements, running as fast as he could from every thought that tried to weigh him down.


	4. Episode 4 - Father

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: All mah fandoms, bitch.

Notes:

FIC START!

Episode 4 - Father

When Cid arrived home, finally, after what felt like had to be the longest Sunday he'd ever lived through, it seemed like everyone else was just doing their thing. A lazy Sunday through and though. He walked in through the front door to find Canti with her nose deep into a book. Kain was propped up on the couch playing video games. Their new tenant wasn't in the living room, but in his own room, where he was minding his own business. It was well past sundown and he was just exhausted from all that bullshit back at the restaurant.

"How was your day, kids?" he asked, almost sounding disinterested.

"Eh," Kain replied, not looking away from the TV. "Got stuck on a boss in Dragon Quest so I decided to play Smash instead. So not much."

"I'm studying so I can work on a paper that's due this week," Canti answered, flipping a page.

"I'm glad _someone_ around here decided to keep to the house rule." With that tone of voice, both of them could tell that he wanted to stay home today. It was hard not to feel bad as they both spent quite a while away from the house. "What did you guys have planned for dinner, then?"

"I didn't, since I'm studying," Canti said. "I know I was on dinner duty two days ago. So it can't be my turn."

"I'll order some pizzas," Cid said, not really wanting to think about it. He was just... so... damned tired.

"Again?" Kain asked. "Don't. Please. I'll cook. Pizza's bad for my diet, Uncle Cid."

"I haven't made the new schedule yet," Cid sighed. "I'm just so overwhelmed with work that-"

"Papa?" Canti looked up from her library book.

In the past, he had never felt his old age before. Here, he felt every ache in his bones, every sore spot in his muscles. His body cried for release. "Yes, baby?" he asked.

"Something is _wrong_ ," she said, putting the book down. She got up and walked right up to him, staring into his light blue eyes. "Something is very, _very_ wrong."

"Did something happen?" he asked. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Are you sure you want that?" she asked.

"Oh _shit_ ," Kain said, turning off his game and gathering up his stuff. "This isn't gonna be pretty. I'm not gonna sit here..." He darted through the hall and directly to his room.

"Papa Cid," she said, her tone getting a bit stricter. "I'm worried about you. You go against one of the house rules we've had since before I came to live with you. You're gone all day and-"

"Cantirena," he said, shaking his head. "I know, it's not very much like me. But I had good intent, I promise you."

"Good intent?" she asked.

"I can't tell you what it is, but I promise... I did it for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me?!" she shouted. "I thought we didn't keep secrets, Papa!"

"We don't."

"Then... why can't you tell me?!"

He sighed again. "Because it's not ready yet. I can't tell you because it's not all ready yet. And I'm sorry about that. But I promise that when the day comes when it's ready, I'll give it to you. It might answer some questions."

"Questions?"

He pulled away from her and headed back towards his room, ready to sleep for the next month or so. What he did back at that meeting was absurdly dangerous. Even if he was tired, the best thing he could do for her was to lock himself away and work on it until it was done. He noticed that Kain's door was locked and that Mateus' door was only cracked open, though he had no idea what any of them were doing.

"Papa Cid," she said, following him down the hall. "You..."

"I, what?"

"...I do not doubt your intentions. I do not doubt your love for me or anyone else that bears the Highwind name. I'm just so worried about you. Take tomorrow off."

"I can't, pumpkin."

"But... you look like you're about to keel over from all the stress," she said, tearing up. "Take a week off!"

"I really can't do that."

"Yes you can! You're your own boss now so-"

"If I'm my own boss, then you'll let me do what I need to do," he said gently. "I'll get this family out of this hole in one way or another. I'm sorry I'm not as good at holding down the fort like your uncle Richard."

"Stop apologizing!" she yelled, stomping right over to him. "If you can't take care of yourself, then you can't take care of anyone else! So stop being so mopey! That's not who you are. It's never been who you are!" Tears streamed down her cheeks before she went to her room. "I've always admired your ability to hold your head up high regardless of how the world around you is. Now it seems like you don't want to be that strong person and..."

"This is me not caving in right now," Cid said. "I know you don't understand what I'm talking about... and it's best that you don't."

"You've never shut me out before."

"I know, but..."

"Oh forget it! If you wanna work yourself so hard you die, then go right ahead!" she said angrily, fully prepared to slam the door. "It's your decision to be a fucking idiot, if that's you want!"

"Canti, please..."

She looked away from him and shut her bedroom door, locking it from inside.

"Fucking hell," he whispered, leaving it be. He headed back to his room. She was going to sulk a bit. Of course, he expected that. And he knew that she only spoke to him like that because she cared so much. But, ultimately, Cid smiled at that. He loved his daughter, by his blood or not, and was absolutely motivated to do what he had to do for her. The way she spoke to him now, while it was supposed to discourage him from pushing himself further, only had the opposite effect. Before anyone got their hands on his life's work, on his final gift... he would complete it and present it to her.

* * *

Mateus typed on his computer quickly, the even click-clacking setting the rhythm of how fast his thoughts moved. He had been doing all sorts of research ever since he and Canti hand gone to the library together just earlier. While he did have his headphones covering one ear, he could hear other noises through the house with his open ear. He had other devices sitting on his makeshift desk that blinked in primary colors, measuring waves of all kinds. A solar powered charger sat on the windowsill. Anyone that looked into his possessions never would have been able to tell he was a mere professor of Astronomy. As much as he appreciated the art of outer space, that was only one leg of his massive studying history. Only one tiny part that led to his main, eventual goal.

Suddenly, one of the sensors began to blink with a blue light. Instantly he slid his headphones off his ears and grabbed another device. He gasped as he turned back to his bed and picked up a book older than he was. Probably older than the city they lived in. His theory was correct, then. He flipped through the text carefully, blowing dust out from between two pairs of pages to read it more clearly. The type in it was mostly faded. He ran his finger along the page, mumbling to himself, before he put the laptop on his desk. He was going to have to investigate. He reached into one of his boxes and pulled out two metal rods to hold them in front of himself.

They pointed at the wall and as he stepped closer to it, the rods instantly crossed to form an X. So he went to the door to see if anyone was out there. Seemed as if the family had all gone their ways for the night, so he stepped out with his rods. Pointing them at Kain's door gave him no signal. He took another few steps carefully as to not disturb either of the cousins in either bedrooms, to see if it was coming from the direction of Cid's room further down the hall. No response there, either. So he turned to Canti's door and the rods crossed again. He knew he had an attraction to her, but this made him that much more hungry to have her as his own. They had a ritual, though neither Cid or Kain quite understood the implications. Was... was she the key to what he had been searching for?! He was as silent as possible, putting his hear up to her door. What was she doing in there to make her set off his tools, and cause his dousing rods to detect the energy to confirm his suspicions?

He heard something... was it a chime? What kind of a sacred, magical item would jingle? No, no wasn't a jingle, that was the _tmbril_ of a... tambourine. He heard her voice, too... she was singing? That made a bit more sense at least. Must be another ritual. Seemed as if the magic was triggered by music. Interesting. Mateus knew that his student made music the center of her life, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was the case simply because of this... power, this energy. He remembered how she told him about being abandoned and found by the Highwind family. There was more to this.

* * *

Canti stood in the center of her room, holding a tambourine in her left hand. She had no idea why she had been compelled to buy this thing back when she was a kid, but she's had it around ever since then. She shook it around, letting the zils do their thing. It was like ringing a bell, only not quite. She hit it against her other hand to create a beat, and soon she was swinging her body along with her own beat. And it was then that she let out a little rhyme.

 _"When you've bungled all your bangles,_  
 _and your loved ones have been mangled,_  
 _Listen to the jingle-jangle of my gypsy tambourine!_  
 _Cause these chords are hypnotising,_  
 _and everyone's harmonizing,_  
 _Please stop your crying and just sing along with me!"_

As she moved around with her tambourine, she felt something below her feet. She looked down to see a circle of some sort had formed around the area she had been dancing. She stared at it, confused. It was strange, something she'd never seen before. The energy she recognized, but Canti had no idea where it had come from. She wasn't afraid of it. It coursed through her body, soothing, comforting. She leaned down, putting her hands against the floor.

"What... is this?" she asked, closing her eyes. She wasn't exactly sleepy before, but as relaxed as that energy made her feel, she couldn't help but feel drowzy. She flopped onto the floor much like a bunny before taking a nap. When she tried to speak again, her voice was fading away. "Wait..." she gasped out. "...Papa... Kain... what... what is this?" She wanted to pick herself up from the floor, but her body felt as if it had acquired so much more weight that she didn't have the strength to support. Her mind was quickly fading away. Before she passed out entirely, she thought she could feel a hand on her forehead. For a second, she was sure that it was her newest friend.

 _Mateus..._


	5. Episode 5 - Botanist

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: I don't own fandom stuff.

Notes:

FIC START!

Episode 5 - Botanist

Mateus stood outside her door, remembering the rule that Cid had mentioned almost right after he inquired to move in. Setting foot in that room was a quick way of being thrown out, and quite possibly having his belongings destroyed as some sort of ill-sought vengeance. He didn't know what happened in there, as the door was closed, but he did hear the sound of her falling over. If he didn't say anything about it, he'd be incriminated, and if he did, he'd also be incriminated. The mentality of a short sighted family. It didn't surprise him to know that Canti was adopted. She did seem to have a demeanor very different from that of both of the other Highwinds. He turned around. The dragon on the young man's door. He walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"I'm busy," came Kain's disgruntled voice.

"I hate to disturb you, but I am worried about your cousin," Mateus spoke honestly.

Kain opened his door, glaring at him. "The hell are you on about?" he grumbled.

"I heard her fall over."

"Yeah, she's pretty clumsy. You'll hear that a lot." Kain seemed as if he was going to close the door again.

"No, I believe you misunderstand," Mateus said. "Allow me to clarify. If it were not for your uncle's imposed rules, I would have opened the door to check on her. Whatever she hit, she hit hard, and she didn't let out any sign that she was all right after falling."

"Oh shit," Kain said, walking out of his door. He was shirtless, wearing nothing more than just his dragon-print boxers, his hair hanging all over the place. It seemed as if he young man was preparing to go to bed. He went to Canti's door and knocked on it a few times. "Cousin, you have a minute?"

No reply. But Kain didn't hear her snoring or any other noise she could have been making. No click-clacking from her computer, no video game sound effects, no music. That was the strangest of all. If she was awake, she had music on.

"Hey!" he said, knocking again.

Yet again, no reply.

"Ah fuck it," he swore, opening the door. He stuck his head in, finding that Mateus was not wrong. She had collapsed right in the center of her bedroom floor. Based on how she was posed, her position wasn't on purpose. She didn't lay down like that. He glared back at Mateus to make sure he wasn't trying to get a glimpse of her with her music note-print panties exposed, and the professor quickly turned his head to avert Kain's gaze to seem as if he was merely just a concerned tenant. He stepped in, kneeling down next to her. "Canti," he said, putting his hand over her mouth and nose. She wasn't breathing. "Oh. Oh shit! You stay right there, Professor. I won't have you trying anything funny..." He gasped, standing back up. "...Uncle Cid!" He dashed out of his cousin's room and down the hall as fast as he could.

Mateus took the opportunity to step into her room, listening very carefully for approaching feet. He could feel a difference in the atmosphere within this room as opposed to the rest of the house. He bent down to check on her. She wasn't breathing. This wasn't some mere fall. There were no physical injuries that he could detect. It was as if her very essence had been drawn out of her completely. He put his hand over her head and chanted for a moment. He couldn't bear the idea of the one that had the biggest lead in his life-long search dying on him, when he was so close to having her for himself. When he heard the worried voices from the back of the house begin to come closer, he stepped out and waited, taking up that look on his face once again of nothing more than just a concerned neighbor.

"What happened?" Cid barked at Mateus.

"I only heard her fall and no longer make any noise. I've noticed that if she is awake, and sometimes when she's asleep, there is always some noise coming from your daughter's room," Mateus explained as Kain went back in. "I grew worried."

"You didn't go in her room to check on her yourself?" Cid asked.

"I would have, but I would not like to be thrown out of my new place of residence within less than twenty four hours of moving into it. I was only acting according to the house rule you established yourself, Mr. Highwind."

Canti let out a loud, harsh cough. When Cid and Kain were both in there trying to get some reaction from her, there didn't seem to be anything they could do. If he had another moment with her, he might have had a chance to snap her back completely to herself, but it did not seem as if he would get the chance now. Cid told Kain to take her out to the truck and they'd drive her to the local hospital. When Mateus asked what he could do to help, Cid's voice was quiet as he answered. "You've done your part."

"Mr. Highwind, if I may inquire-"

"We can discuss anything you like at another time," Cid said sternly, eyebrows raised. Kain quickly came out of his room in his pajamas and carried his cousin out to the truck.

Mateus reached into his pocket, retrieving his wallet. "If they do not accept your insurance or payment method, at least allow me to lend you this." He handed Cid a card. "It is the least I can do." Cid looked down at it, but he didn't have the time to examine it. He ran out of the house as if fleeing for his very life after he tucked it into his pocket. That left the professor all alone in the house. He went to the door they used to leave and locked it. There was much to learn about this family while they were away. He stepped lightly, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

He didn't believe there was anything worth investigating in Kain's room. He did look inside it just in case, and found a typical twenty-something's bedroom. The boy had a fascination with dragons, with figurines and posters across the walls. Video games hooked up to his television, though everything was neatly organized. Even the game cases were in alphabetical order and the wired controllers wound up to prevent tangling. It smelled sharply of his gym clothes, which were all piled up on top of a dark blue gym bag in a corner - the only element of the room that was disorganized or dirty. A bookshelf stood close to his closet, full of fantasy novels. Seemed as if Kain Highwind was a closet nerd. And on the nightstand, near his alarm clock, Mateus found a picture in a frame. He picked it up to get a better look at it. Kain was younger, standing very close to a much younger Canti holding a plush rabbit. They were surrounded by many people. Cid was in the picture, wearing a military uniform. Next to him was a short, somewhat chubby lady with a brown ponytail wearing the garb of some sort of scientific researcher and silver rimmed glasses.. Their arms were linked. This must have been Cid's wife. Canti mentioned her at some point before. On the other side was a man wearing a uniform just like Cid's, but looking just like an older Kain. And next to him was a shorter, more traditionally dressed woman wearing a dress all the way down to her ankles and an apron over it. Kain's parents. They were standing in front of something, though Mateus couldn't exactly place where or what it was. He put the picture down, and closed the door behind him. An average young man, averagely being average. Mateus headed across the hall, standing right in front of Canti's bedroom.

He had only been in this room for moments before, but he noticed the atmosphere change yet again just by stepping in it. Canti owned a lot of things that were scattered about the room. A huge standing CD shelf full of all kinds of albums, but the one she bought when they went out was on her desk next to her closed laptop. She had a 3DS and a stack of games on her nightstand. Posters from musicals and airshows covered her walls. Books of all kinds were lined up rather haphazardly on her bookshelf. He found many of them were just scripts of plays, but others were manuals for aircraft. A pair of high-quality flight goggles hung off of a thumb tack over her desk. This wasn't what he was looking for. He saw the plush rabbit she was holding in the picture was sitting on her bed, old and worn. The white dress from the picture had grown dirty with age. He took another step in, seeing the tambourine she was playing earlier on the floor. He kneeled down to pick it up and clapped it against his hand a few times. It didn't seem to emit any power at all. He wondered where it would usually go as his eyes traced along all the things within this room. There was a box that contained an ocarina put away within a shelf on her lower nightstand, so maybe that's where it was supposed to go. There was a... book... underneath her bed? Why would there be a book under her bed when she had so many other books on display on her shelf? He put the tambourine back on the floor as he found it, only to reach for the book. He pulled it out to pour over the details on the front. Seemed to be just an average journal, emblazoned with symbols of astronomy. Stars, planets, moons, galaxies. It was cartoony, as opposed to scientific. He cracked it open, and the spine let out a sound indicating that this was a very well-used book.

"...this is...?" he asked, staring at the very first page. A drawing, or perhaps a diagram, that he didn't quite understand. He turned another page to see writing that he couldn't read. Not that it was messy, he could make out the letters, or symbols, or whatever-they-weres well enough. He just had no idea what the hell it all meant. Well, fine, then, he turned another page only to find more writing in a different color ink and, more importantly, something he could read. He took in a deep breath as he read it aloud. _"Music is magic, magic is music."_ Instantly fascinated by his discovery, he kept turning the pages. They were all filled with a writing system that reminded him a lot of ancient runes, and many passages were accompanied by translations. Mateus became absorbed in the passages completely. Even moreso when he noticed there were loose leaf papers sticking out of the back filled with handwritten notes. Many of the passages were untranslated, but Canti, he presumed, must have been working on it. Where did a book like this come from? How would she be able to translate something like this? And what did it all have to do with her fainting when she played the tambourine? He closed the book, placing it within his pocket. This investigation had proved very fruitful. He turned to leave the room, wondering if he should bother checking in on her father's room. He wouldn't be inclined to understand magic of any sort. But... there could always be something he could put to use...

As he decided to head down just to give the family patriarch's private area of the house, he heard his phone ring. Who dared to call this time on a Sunday night? He was busy. He retrieved it from the pocket in his slacks, sliding along the screen to answer the call. "I told you not to call this number," Mateus said quietly.

"I know, I know, but... it's your turn on Words With Friends!" the voice on the other end of the line squealed. "I'm tired of waiting for you to take your turn!"

"I'm far too busy to play with you," he grumbled.

"I took my turn on Friday morning. You can't tell me you weren't on your computer at all this weekend!"

"I've been conducting important research," the professor answered. "Have you no work to do?"

"Did you forget I am a botanist? Most of the time I'm waiting to collect data from my experiments... So, no. Besides! Who stays up all night to do work on Sunday, knowing they are expected less than six hours later at work tomorrow the next morning?!"

"Who stays up this late waiting for someone to play a stupid Facebook game?" Mateus answered.

"Mateus! Why are you so mean?!" Milich whined. "You at least have a decent home and people to keep you company! All I have are bushes of exotic plants and flowers! It smells like a mix of perfume in a landfill, and I'm all alone!"

"Sad, lonely life for you," Mateus said, heading back to his room. "I'm sorry, Milich. I cannot be torn away from my business right now. Please refrain from calling this number again unless it is an emergency." He was going to hang up, but the screeching from his coworker made him only sigh in disgusted annoyance. "You are going to bother me to hell and back tomorrow at work if I don't give in to your request, aren't you?"

"...no..." Milich pouted. "...don't worry about me..."

That's exactly what he meant... Mateus rolled his eyes. There were times where he hated having to give in to the social needs of his coworkers. Milich was especially clingy and over-reactionary if anything ever happened to the poor sop. "If I take my turn now, will you at least leave me alone long enough for me to finish my current work?"

"Only if you promise you won't make me wait an entire weekend between turns!"

Mateus had been hoping if he didn't play that pointless game that Milich would forget about it. How badly he wanted to quit working at that university, but there was no way he'd able to do that unless he could continue with the research that now rested within the pocket of his suit jacket. He sat down to open his laptop. "I'll check it at least every other day," he said. "I can't be bothered do it every day, all right?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Milich squealed happily. "I love you so much!"

"...please don't say that..." Mateus answered. "...we are not connected in any way other than being co-workers..."

"But, but, but-"

"I know you're lonely. If you're spending so much time on the computer, might I suggest a dating website? Do not entertain the idea that you care about me."

"Matty the Meanie is at it again!"

Mateus promptly hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He wasn't going to listen to that drivel even if it would make work in a few hours more bearable. He glanced over at the clock and yawned. Oh, all right, fine. He wouldn't go and investigate Cid Highwind's room now. He wanted to read his daughter's mysterious book far more than he wanted to see if there was anything back there anyhow. Once he was comfortable, he opened the book and began to let himself absorb all he could find within it. Once he had read it all, he would scan it and compare the markings to other ancient languages, cross-reference all the information that had been translated, and then he could really dissect what he had found. He wondered how Canti was getting along as he read the book, knowing that she was breathing again, but not having a clue as to her current mental state. Perhaps this 'music is magic, magic is music' could offer some sort of answer.

He couldn't wait until he had the chance to spend another day alone with her again, as he had so many questions for her.


	6. Episode 6 - Doctor

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: I don't own my fandoms. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'd be making shit canon. Perhaps that's not the best idea, now that I think on it. *quiet evil laugh*

Notes:

FIC START!

Episode 6 - Doctor

When Canti opened her eyes again, she was in the back seat of the family truck with her head on Kain's lap and Cid in the driver's seat. She gasped for air, feeling as if she hadn't been breathing in far too long. What the hell happened? She was more than confused. She could feel the motion of the truck. They were going somewhere.

"Uncle Cid, she's awake," Kain said. "Hey, cousin, you okay?"

"I don't know..." she answered.

"What happened?" Cid asked.

She tried to think about it, still grasping as if she was having a very hard time breathing. Her heart raced, as if there was some sort of impending doom that she wasn't aware of chasing her down. She didn't want to speak, honestly. Her nerves were frazzled. She'd had anxiety issues before in the past, but nothing like what she was having now. "I was playing my tambourine," she said, her voice trembling. "I don't remember anything else aside from that. What... what are we doing in the truck?"

"Taking you to the hospital," Kain answered.

"I- I don't want to go to the hospital..."

"You weren't breathing for a while," Cid said. "I don't have a choice but to take you."

"But, Papa, the... the needles."

"I know, baby girl."

Kain looked down at her. Even though they fought more than they should have, that expression only revealed how worried about her he really was. His disheveled blonde hair framed his beautiful face instead of being pulled up the way he usually had it. He didn't spend any time getting ready to leave. There must have been quite a panic through the house if he left looking like this. Kain was disciplined in how he took care of himself, something that she remembered seeing in her Uncle Richard for the little time she got to know him. He put his hand on her forehead, and while it probably wasn't meant to, it offered her comfort. His hand was warm. Was it ever not warm? She couldn't really remember it not being warm before. "Are you being honest about that?" he whispered so Cid couldn't hear him.

"What do you mean?" she whispered back.

"Do you remember more than just playing your tambourine before you fell?"

She looked directly into those deep blue eyes of his and only nodded. He watched how the expression in her eyes changed during that silent response. She was frightened of something, perhaps something she didn't quite understand. Typically she wasn't the type to be so quiet, she had a lot to say. Kain glanced over at Cid, and his eyes were still fixed on the road. Then he bent down as best he could to whisper even quieter, "Can't you tell me about it?"

Canti shook at that. It was something she didn't want to relive. Whatever it was had a hold on her.

"Let me help you carry your burden..."

"I couldn't..." she whimpered, suddenly feeling a sensation in her head much like a hammer beating on an anvil. Her brain ached and she wished she could do as the mighty Zeus did in mythology, just crack her skull open so that the pressure could be released. "...I love you too much..."

"I know you're different. I don't know exactly how different. But I know you are," Kain said, cupping his hand around her cheek. "And I don't care what threatens you. I will rise to defend you."

"You sound like a knight," she said, unable to hold back her whisper, giggling. "Like from a fairy tale."

He smiled and said, also at full volume, "I'm better looking than every knight in every fairy tale ever."

"I dunno," Cid thought aloud. "I've read legends about this knight that was half-moon man... or something? They say his hair was the color of the full moon, and his skin was paler. He was so fair, he was mistaken for a woman by every damsel he tried to rescue."

"I'm way better looking than that guy, too," Kain said proudly. "And you can tell I'm a man."

"Wasn't that the legend about the crystal war?" Canti asked. "Because I think you're confusing two characters, Papa."

"Might be," Cid said.

"I'm more handsome than either of them."

She giggled again at his overwhelming sense of pride. Canti was glad for Kain's dedication to her, though there was no way she was going to let him fight on her behalf. He had no idea what was coming, how dangerous it was going to be. If anything, she would have given anything - even her own sense of being, her actual life if that's what it took - just to keep her family safe. She listened to Cid and Kain banter back and forth the way they had always done through the years when things seemed as if they would be overwhelmingly unbearable and it only reaffirmed the fact tha she wanted to protect them. They had given her so much love. They didn't have to do that. She wasn't a part of the Highwind bloodline. But they made her one. They accepted her, even though she was weird. They accepted her, even though she was different. Even though she was...

She felt a hand that wasn't Kain's slide down her face. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it, like a shadow blocking out light. It made her cringe. Kain glanced back down at her the moment he noticed.

"It isn't gone, is it?" Kain whispered.

"...no..."

"Don't be afraid," he whispered. "Even if no one else will stand by you, know that I'll be your knight. And all the rest of the princesses and sorceresses and... whoever else has knights, they'll be jealous when they hear that Kain Highwind is your knight."

"Jealous, huh?"

"Damn straight. Just hold on."

* * *

Mateus pushed up his glasses as he hooked up a scanner to his laptop. Each and every page of that journal he found underneath Canti's bed were then scanned into his computer. He didn't want her to panic when noticing her book was missing, so he thought to put it back before the family returned. He was lost in his thoughts, almost daydreaming about the secrets unlocked by translating this... almost alien script. He didn't know if it existed anywhere else, but he didn't care. He would translate it. And with the notes that he found alongside much of the glyphs in the book, it seemed as if Canti was all ready attempting to do just that. He watched as each page was saved onto his computer and then backed up for his external drives as well. He headed to the kitchen, made himself a cup of coffee and went back. Eventually, every page was saved, and he picked the book up, turning the pages to look through them with his eyes. Taking a sip of the hot cup, his eyes traced along the pages. Then he took it back to Canti's room, bent down, and placed it in the exact spot he found it in. Once he went back to his computer, he ran a program to see if this script had anything to compare it to within discovered archaeology. With it all being automated, it was hard not to be jealous of ancient pursuers of knowledge. They had quite a bit to do between discoveries, damn near had to earn them.

The computer beeped once the program was done. There were none to compare to. Mateus heaved a sigh, deciding to go through the pages on his own to see what he could work out. But, before he started, he reached into his stack of books, wondering if there was something within his texts. He cracked one of the books labeled Demonology open, flipping through its pages. That one was wildly different. Okay, what about another one, then? He took another. Nope. That was fine, he had amassed quite a collection of books associated with magic through his time searching for it. Within all those books, there wasn't anything similar. How frustrating. He remembered he had more books in storage that he did not bring with him. He reached for his phone, ignoring the notifications from various contacts, to send a text regarding them. Mateus took another sip from his coffee cup, wondering exactly how the hell he was going to translate this? In his right hand, he used the phone to post that his class would be cancelled today. So much that needed to be done, and class would only waste his precious time. Especially if his favorite student wouldn't be attending.

The phone rang and he grunted. It better not have been that clingy bitch of a coworker of his, Milich Oppenheimer. If it was, he might just have to shatter his phone to get some goddamn silence.

"Yes?" he asked as he answered it.

"The vehicle is in motion."

Ah, yes... he'd been so absorbed in what he was doing that he forgot all about that transmitter he'd put on their family truck. "I am aware of that. Where is it heading?"

"Transgelda General, sir. Just pulled in."

"Do keep a good eye on the family within. They are important to me. Should anything happen to them, you and your family will suffer."

"Understood, sir." There was an audible gulp.

"Fantastic. I am so glad we have such a lovely working relationship." He swiped on it to end the call, calmly slipping the phone back into his pocket. Mateus turned his attention back to his computer, letting out a little yawn. What time was it now? It didn't matter. Adrenaline itself was enough to keep him up long enough to devour this new information he'd managed to get his hands on. He went through scanned image after scanned image over and over again. He would find the answer behind this 'music is magic, magic is music' if it killed him.

* * *

"You know," Canti insisted as both Cid and Kain led her through a hospital hallway. "I honestly don't think we need to do this." They were following a nurse, and the further in they went, the more she told them that she was feeling better and she didn't want to go in. The further she went into a hospital, the more likely she was to have to deal with needles going into her arm. Oh no, she wasn't having that. No, no, no, absolutely not, nope, she wasn't going to put up with that bullshit, not of needles, never ever, nope.

"No. You fell, lost conciousness, and weren't breathing for a bit. You need to be checked out," Cid said. "I know you don't like it, baby, but that's life sometimes."

"Uh, no, I'm fine. Well enough to tell you to piss off, at least," she grumbled at him.

"Even if you were dead, you'd be well enough to tell me to piss off," Cid said.

"He's got you there, cousin."

Every time they took a step, she turned around and tried to walk right between them. But they snatched her arms and forced her to turn around. Until the nurse stopped and opened a door for them go to into. Then the plopped some hospital gowns down on the bed, fetched the tv remote, and walked out.

"I'm not wearing those embarrassing hospital clothes!" she shouted at them, crossing her arms.

"You're gonna do as you're supposed to," Cid said, shaking his head. "Or am I gonna have to put it on you myself? I don't think you want your Papa doing that."

"Uhh, Uncle Cid, I don't think anyone wants you doing that," Kain said hesitantly. "The implications of that-"

"Stop being so stubborn," he whacked her lightly on the back of her head. "I don't want to have to break the law to get you checked out!"

Canti glared at them both, standing over by the hospital bed. "Fine. But. Both of you turn away. Assholes."

"Assholes that love you," Kain corrected her with a smile.

"All this bullshit, I'm gonna have to miss school today," she said, pulling off her clothes to slip on the hospital gowns that weren't comfortable and made her feel as if there was a constant draft up her butt. "I have papers due, y'know-"

"They'll understand," Cid said. "We'll get a note and everything will be fine."

"We get it, you don't wanna be here," Kain said. "Truth is, we don't either."

"So we can leave right now, then!"

"No. We can't," Kain sighed. "You know we can't."

There was a knock at the door, and Canti sat down on the bed provided. The young man that walked in had sunkissed skin. Clearly he was from another area of the world. He wore the doctor's garb. Both Cid and Kain moved out of the way to allow him to step in. "Excuse me," the man said, his voice natural disaster-stoppingly soothing. "This is... Miss Cantirena Highwind, yes?"

"I am," she answered, suddenly much more interested in what was to take place. Would this guy be the one to take care of her? She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

None of his movements were sudden. He approached her, grabbing a few tools from the cabinet nearby. "I am Dr. Wu, and I'll be overseeing your care here this morning," he continued. "Because of what was described, I'm going to have to order a CAT scan, among other things."

"Ot-other..." she stammered. "Other things?"

"Blood test."

She pulled back and shook her head vigorously, until she noticed there was nowhere else to go when she hit the back of the bedframe. "Please, please, please, don't make me do a blood test," she begged. "I-I'm terrified of, of... of... needles..."

"If that's what needs to be done, that's what needs to be done," Cid said.

Dr. Wu cocked his head to the side. "You don't have to be afraid of anything," he said gently. "We have a special kind of needle that doesn't hurt, if that's what you're afraid of."

"That's a thing?" Kain asked in disbelief.

The doctor nodded. "I've been working on several things during my medical studies," he explained. "I've known so many that refused to come to a hospital due to a fear of needles. I decided it was time to do something about that." He pulled out a pen-light and had her hold her head still while he examined her eyes. While she didn't like doing it, she wanted to believe him when he said there was nothing to be afraid of. He then used a machine that clipped to her finger to take her pulse, and while that was on, he checked her temperature. "All of your vitals seem perfectly fine."

"That means I can leave, right?" Canti asked, perking up.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Wu said. "The most important thing we do, because it was reported that you were not breathing for some time, is your CAT scan. We have to make sure that your brain is functioning the way it should. Not getting oxygen for so long causes brain damage."

"Thanks, Papa..." she grunted in his direction.

"You're welcome, pumpkin."

"How long should that take?" she asked as she turned back towards the doctor.

"I have to put the order in for it, so it might be a while. Forgive me," Dr. Wu replied. "For the moment, please lie back and relax as much as possible." He waited there for her to obey, but she stayed sitting up until he put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back. "Though it would be best if you didn't sleep."

"My brain's working just fine, I-"

"Please stay put. I'd rather not have to transfer you to the increased security wing." He said, gathering up his clipboard and other things. "I will return to check on you." He then motioned for Cid to step out of the room with him, and the old retired pilot followed him. They stepped far away enough for Canti to not be able to hear them. "Is your daughter always this obstinant?"

"...most of the time, yes," Cid answered. "Is that all you pulled me out here to ask?"

"No, not at all," Dr. Wu said, shaking his head. Oh, some patients and their familes were just so full of sass, weren't they? "The truth is, I am worried that I may not be able to get a CAT scan to her in a timely fashion. I'd rather not have to admit her to stay just to wait for that, as she seems functional enough... but my better judgement tells me that she needs to have a scan regardless." He placed his tools within his pockets of his doctor's coat, and the clipboard on a vertical folder on the wall.

"Is it a money thing?" Cid asked.

"Not just that. She isn't considered in an emergency status because she's awake and breathing now," the doctor continued.

Cid sighed as he reached into his coat pocket. He didn't know what that card was that Mateus gave him earlier, but... "Look. I don't know what it'll take to move things along, but I have this," he pulled out the card and showed it to Dr. Wu. "All I can ask is that you do what you can."

The doctor gasped, taking the card for a moment. He went to the computer, to her file, and typed rapidly some certain information. Then he picked up the phone and read out the number on the card into it. "I need a CAT scan. Come to the emergency wing immediately." Then he handed the card back to Cid. "...I never would have expected someone like you to carry the card," he muttered. "...but never mind that now..."

Cid looked down at it. The card had no identifying marks. It was just solid red with a number embossed into it. He turned it over, and it didn't have a magnetic strip or a chip or anything like any of the cards he owned for the bank or other government institutions. Then he put it back in his pocket, meaning to thank Mateus personally when all of this was done. "Just... do what you can to examine my daughter. There's probably nothing wrong, but I don't want to take any chances, y'know?"

"I understand fully well," Dr. Wu anwered. "There will be nothing refused her, should it be needed."

Cid nodded. "Okay..." he started to back off, wondering exactly what connotations came with using that card.


	7. Episode 7 - Observer

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: I don't own my fandoms. You know the drill.

Notes: Curious as to the name of the town, "Transgelda"? It's from Elminage Original, which is a game where you can make any characters you want be in a party. And yeah, you can import whatever art you want to be those characters so even fandom characters work! I have it on PSP and Steam, and I highly encourage everyone to give it a shot!

Episode 7

It started as a clear afternoon, not too far from the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Transgelda, near a lake surrounded by camp grounds. The city council named it as a public place, and decided to charge people that wanted to vacation there to raise enough money to support the city. No one else made a fuss over it. Many folks brought boats and water sporting gear, many went fishing and caught buckets upon buckets of fish, some pitched a tent and just enjoyed being away from the busy city life. It was one of those nights that the Highwind family's destiny completely changed. Somewhere between doing donuts on the jet skis and making a barbeque feast enough to feed everyone in the family for at least three days, the wind picked up. Clouds began to roll in. A few droplets came down, and a general groan was let out by all. Despite that, the family was ready to go into their tents and campers to ride out the night. They picked up all of their things and packed into their sleeping arrangements. Thunder roared all around, and lightning struck a nearby tree, causing it to catch fire. Many decided to make emergency exits. Abruptly deciding to go and check outside, a nearly thirty year old pilot decided to pull down his goggles over his eyes and run out into the storm to make sure the rest of his family was okay. He called out for his brother, who stayed in a camper on the same camping plot as his own. His brother answered and told him to go back to his tent, but no, he wouldn't. There were more members of the family he had to check on. The pilot's wife, a dedicated woman of science, stuck her head out and called out for him, and he told her to stay put for the moment, that he was all right. He turned around, trying to see things through his goggles, but it seemed as if they were doing more harm than good. He lifted them up, his face blasted by the deluge. He walked to the other side of his tent, squinting. The tree on fire was over there. It was the only light right now. Seemed as if all the lamps and other electrical devices were unable to work now. The pilot headed in that direction, and the sound of the storm was drowned out completely by the sound of a voice. Crying. He headed in that direction, towards the fire. By the time he got there, the fire had been taken out completely by the storm. The voice grew louder as he got closer to it, until he found exactly who that voice belonged to. He gasped, kneeling down next to the little girl laying in the mud, not even wearing shoes. She stared up at the sky above, as if she saw completely through the pilot. Without hesitation, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her, picking her up. He called out to anyone that would listen. Who left her out here, or who let her wander out in such a storm?! Oh, he wanted to give that negligent parent a damn good talking to. But for the moment, he carried her back to his tent. The pilot's wife was shocked, but did her best to clean the little girl her husband had brought home. The girl was cold, clammy, and looked as if she was so sick that she could have died if the right steps were not taken. She shivered despite being dry and wrapped in blankets, she stared blankly as if her mind was a million miles away, and the pilot and his wife did not know if she poor dear would survive the night. The only thing they did know was that they would do anything to ensure she did make it. When the storm was over, the pilot approached his brother and together they searched for whoever lost their little girl. They found no one. When they went back to the city, they reported her discovery to the authorities, and no one claimed her as their own. She was taken to the hospital to test for all sorts of diseases, and when the police wanted to take her away from them, she panicked. She reached for the old pilot, not knowing anything else about him other than he saved her life, with a cry that rang out through that man's heart. Every wall guarding his heart seemed to crumble all at once. He felt his eyes tear up for the first time in at least the last decade. He immediately told the police that he would adopt her if she belonged nowhere else. The paperwork wasn't much, considering no one knew where she'd come from or even how old she was. But it didn't matter. He picked her up and spun her around a few times, declaring to the entire world that he had a daughter... it was the happiest moment he had in a long time, and it was a moment he would go back and relive in his memory over and over again, to remind himself exactly what was the most important thing in his life.

"Uncle Cid," Kain said, holding up a tray of food. "I know you always wanted to be an astronaut, but now is not the time to be spacing out." He put the tray on the table, and Cid just looked over at him, more disinterested than anything. "The doctor says that all the tests are complete."

Cid noticed they were in the food court provided for the guests of the Transgelda General Hospital. So much time had passed since he tried to sit down and have some shut eye, but all he really got were some traces into memory lane. "Yeah? Can we go see her now?"

"The last one, they had to knock her out for," Kain explained, opening a box and taking a bite of the sandwich. He'd had much better turkey on rye, but there wasn't much he could expect from a hospital ala carte. "So, no. But after you get done eating, you can go see the doc about the results."

"Nah, I'll go now," Cid said, starting to pick up his stuff.

"You haven't eaten since we got here," Kain said, annoyed. "You don't eat and Canti'll wake up just to kick my ass for not making sure you eat."

"...yeah, she probably would," Cid said, finally taking a cardboard box for himself. He opened it to find a barely toasted club sandwich, and when he ate it, it was probably the most tasteless sandwich he'd ever eaten in his life. He ate it, though, just to show Kain his empty box and hands with a disgruntled expression, before going to see Dr. Wu. He walked quickly, despite his exhaustion, curious to hear what had all gone on. He had no idea how long he'd been attempting to sleep and only managing to stare off into space.

"Ah, there you are," the doctor was also munching on something at his desk, though Cid barely noticed what it was.

"Results."

"Right," Dr. Wu said, standing up. He opened the manilla folder and flipped through some pages. "Cantirena Highwind just happens to be one of the healthiest people that I've ever had the opportunity of working on in here."

"You're sure?"

"Oh yes. Not a single test came up with something wrong."

"Then I am sorry to have wasted your time," Cid said, shaking his head. "Perhaps I really was overreacting. She is going to tan my hide over this."

"Though..." the doctor trailed off. "While there is nothing wrong with her physically, something... something did catch my attention."

"You mean her emotional instability? I will admit my daughter can be incredibly awkward, but I honestly don't think anything can be done about that."

"No, no," Dr. Wu said. "I mean, yes, I did notice that. But that's not what caught my attention." He closed the folder. "Her spirit seems to be haunted by something."

"You mean like a ghost?" Cid scoffed.

"I'm not the type to believe in ghosts, the way the media portrays them," Dr. Wu corrected the old mechanic. "No, what I mean is... are you aware of any specific trauma that your daughter has survived that would linger with her? It's a similar effect to PTSD, where her mind can be... caged into a traumatic experience. I suppose that would be a simple way of explaining it."

"I don't know about her early childhood," Cid replied. "I adopted her."

"How old was she at the time?"

"No one knows."

"How... can no one know?"

"She was abandoned up by Transgelda Lakefront about fourteen years ago. No one knew who she was or where she came from. Instead of subjecting her to the system, I adopted her," Cid answered, sighing. "So. Yeah."

"Oh my," Dr. Wu said, nodding. "I wouldn't be surprised if she ran away from some kind of terrible home life. That would explain a bit. Either way, all the testing and observing her that I've done over the last twelve hours has led me to believe that she's haunted by trauma... Horrifying trauma."

"My nephew told me that you knocked her out for the last test. Why is that?"

"Oh, I didn't knock her out with an IV," the doctor said. "I hypnotised her to see if I could learn more about the trauma and how to address it, to learn more about it."

While he didn't approve, if it would have granted some answers... "Did you learn anything?"

"Whatever it is, she has no memory of it. All she has left is... residual. I would love to learn more about it, but since I don't know her personally, I couldn't tell anyone one way or another about how to deal with it. Forgive me if I overstepped my bounds."

"If dealing with the occult would give me answers about her, then I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm not well versed in voodoo, but she does do a bit of it here and there herself. I don't think she'd refuse it."

"You... say your daughter... uses... voodoo?"

"I don't think it's voodoo, but I do know it's something that would be lumped up with the occult," Cid said, shrugging. "I'm a mechanic, retired military pilot, y'see. I understand science, not..."

"Magic."

"Yeah."

"Well you are free to take your daughter home," Dr. Wu said. "I give you full permission, and-" he handed him a slip of paper. "-in case her teachers refuse to allow her to make up whatever assignments she has, have her give them this. Keep her home today, if you're able."

"I highly doubt any of us will be doing anything other than sleeping today," Cid said, folding up the note and slipping it into his pocket. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all. In fact, I have one thing I'd like to ask you-"

"Oh? Ask away."

The doctor hesitated. He wanted to ask it, but it wouldn't sound professional for a medical practicioner. He feared his request would come across as creepy. No, no, it was best that he didn't ask that sort of question. "I'm- I'm sorry. Never mind. Please be on your way now."

"Oh. Okay...?"

* * *

Even though Mateus was lost in his research, he couldn't help his body's natural needs. He had to get up to eat a snack a few times through the wee hours of the night and make himself a pot of coffee. Having to spend time parusing the family's cupboards to take care of these things only took him away from what he needed to do, and he found it nothing less than annoying. When he went back to his set up, he sat back down on his bed, and his eyelids promptly decided it was time to close instead of cooperating with his need to consume as much information about this subject matter before anyone else arrived home. He grew that much more frustrated with his human existence, reminding himself about the reason why he had embarked on such a crusade in the first place. He wanted to ascend to a higher state of being than just being human. He wanted power to change not only who he was but his station in life, to be able to enact revenge on those that crossed him in the past... there was so much that he had planned. Letting out a yawn, he sat down on his bed, going through the scanned pages of Canti's book yet another time. He'd figure something out, if he just kept at it. That's all he needed to do, just... keep... at it... His body slumped against the wall, his eyelids half open, and no matter how much he wanted to fight back against his natural needs, he slipped off to sleep.

He was launched back again to the world of the awake when the front door opened. Mateus looked around the room and suddenly minimized the program he had accidentally left open. He didn't want to show too much concern, so he kept himself where he was, trying to fake being asleep. He heard their voices.

"Thanks a lot, Papa," Canti said. "You wasted all our time."

"It wasn't a waste," he insisted. "I was... scared, baby. Maybe when you grow up and have children of your own, you'll understand."

"I'm not going to have kids," Canti said.

"But you're totally gonna have sex," Kain said.

The slap that came from that was so hard that Mateus could hear it from here. He could only imagine how big the red mark on the closet nerd's face was after a slap that hard. A pair of feet, most certainly Canti's, came down the hall quickly. He lay as still as he could, trying to breathe evenly. She must have stopped right there in front of his room.

"Oh..." she said. "...he didn't even change to go to bed... must have been up all night..."

Kain's voice came behind her. "You should thank him later. If he hadn't said anything-"

"I would have been fine," she said dismissively.

"He cared enough to speak up," Cid said, his voice passing both of theirs. "I owe him a thank you, regardless of our differences. Looks like he was up all night, worried, too."

She turned away. "Thanks, professor. I'll give you a real thank you later, but..." She headed over to her door, closing it behind her when she went in.

"Get yourself some sleep, you old grizzled bastard," Kain shouted down the hall. Cid only let out a grumble. He carefully shut Mateus' door, which allowed him to open his eyes and slowly sit up. He listened for other stray sounds from sources he could not see. Canti curled up on her bed. The noise of the springs, and her body hit the wall the bed was up against. Kain's door shut. The home's air conditioner turned on, blowing through one of the vents right behind him. He looked over at the clock on his computer. The sun would be up soon. It was best if they all could get some semblence of sleep.

Mateus unbuttoned his shirt a bit before just passing out and not bothering too change. Life was too short to worry about sweating in shirts in his sleep.


	8. Episode 8 - Gamer

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: I don't own my fandoms.

Notes: *rocks out until she loses herself to the music*

FIC START!

 _I stood at the top of a mountain, overlooking terrible destruction of the world around me. My hair brushed about by the wind, I almost felt as if I would be swept away into the sky. When I almost lost my footing, my hand was caught by another. I turn to see Mateus, very the astronomy professor at Transgelda University, was the one that caught me from sliding down the steep side of the mountain. He pulls my arm closer to him and gives me a smile. He is dressed far differently than he normally does, but I don't say anything. He pulls me to him until I am against him, and we overlook the destruction of the world below. It smells awful. Buildings in the distance are decimated. Skeletons charred by fire crumbled against the base of the mountain. I believe they were coming after us but died in the process. He uses his free hand to take hold of my chin, so I am forced to look at him. Even though I cannot help but mourn the world around us having been destroyed to nothing but cinders, he is still smiling. He kisses those tears away and asks me one single thing._

 _"May I have this dance?"_

 _And while I cannot dance, I only nod in response to him. It is a natural flow. He leads me to dance with him in some ancient sort of dance that I have never seen before, but I follow him anyway. I know every move, I know how to respond to every cue he gives me. I never let my eyes leave his own. Those beautiful, yet haunting purple hues. We dance atop that mountain, amid the world being destroyed, as if it were the first dance at our wedding, or celebrating the turn of the new year. I hear a song in my head, though there is no music playing except for the sound of burning and desolate wind that carried upon it nothing but hopelessness and ash._

 _World End's Dancehall._

* * *

Canti's eyes opened quickly and she was immediately surprised to see that she was in her bed, in her room. The song she heard was playing from the phone. Oh, that's right. She made it her ringtone recently. She snatched up her phone, wondering who could have been calling her. When she swiped it open, she noticed that she had recieved many calls throughout the day. And plenty of texts, too. It seems many of her friends and classmates were worried. After reading those texts, she realized that some heard she was in hospital overnight and just had to make sure she was all right. While she was glad they were checking up on her, she was annoyed that she was going to have to answer them all one by one. She turned to her laptop and opened up a word processor to document her dream, down to every detail that she could remember. It had been a while since she had a dream that felt so much like that. Even if she didn't understand everything now, she was sure that eventually it would make sense. The things she'd seen in dreams for a while tended to leave clues to watch out for. Though she couldn't imagine what the clues were pointing to with this dream.

Would the world fall prey to something overwhelming, and Mateus was the only one that would be with her during it all? Where was her father? Where was her cousin, or anyone else she had grown close to since coming to live in Transgelda? Or, was it a sign that no matter what happened to the world, he would always be there to look after her? She had dreams without Papa Cid close by in the past. But those were never pleasant. They were always about... the time before she came here... things she couldn't really talk about. She shuddered, finishing what she could recall about the dream, saved the document and closed it. She wondered if any of her friends would be up for talking about this, and then she realized that everyone would be busy. She yawned, noticing how late in the day it was. Almost time for dinner. Hot damn.

"You awake?" A knock at her door.

"I am now," she grunted. "What do you want, Papa?"

"To apologize for being a dick."

She opened her door and pushed her hair from her face. "I'm not even mad."

"You're not?"

"Naaah," she said, shrugging. "No reason to be. You were doing what you thought you had to do to be a good father. Even if you're overprotective, you're not a bad person, and I still love you. So, no. I'm not even mad." She looked up at him before giving him a sudden hug. "Honestly, I'm more confused than anything."

"What do you have to be confused about?"

"I had the weirdest dream I've had in a while," she answered, snatching her bathrobe up. "And, before you ask, no, I'm not going to talk to you about it. It's... nothing a daughter should be telling her papa about."

"You had a dream about sex? That's common for girls your age," Cid said as he watched her head into the bathroom. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

"Honestly... if that was a metaphor for sex... I don't know if I'd be creeped out or not," she said. "I'll be out in about twenty." She saluted to him and kicked the door closed.

Cid noticed Mateus' door opening from where he stood, and he noticed that the professor was holding a bathtowel and a few other toiletries. His hair was an outright mess, extremely more messy than usual. Cid had never seen him in such a state. He must have slept harder than anyone in the history of the world. There were moderately sized black bags underneath his purple eyes, and those glasses were not enough to hide it.

"I hate to tell you, but you're about a minute late," Cid said. "The princess is taking her bath now."

Mateus nodded. "Very well then. I shall wait until she has finished." He started to close his door again.

"Hey. You have a minute?"

"...does something trouble you, Mr. Highwind?"

"Thank you."

"For?"

"For caring enough to let us know that Canti took a fall yesterday. For lending me this-" he held out the red card that Mateus had put in his hand before they scrambled to the hospital "-because otherwise, they weren't going to be able to run all the tests they did. So. Thank you. I appreciate what you've done for us."

Mateus took the card back and nodded. "Only doing what any responsible member of a household would do. But. You are welcome. Canti is bright. I would hate to see anything happen to her. If I did not prevent her from coming to harm, then I could never forgive myself. You may be her father, but I do feel some sort of guardianship towards her myself."

Cid wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that or not, but he let it be instead of questioning it. "Thank you again. I'll be working today, probably all night. So if you notice anything-"

"I will not hesitate to speak of it."

Cid nodded, turning to head back toward his room. "I... appreciate that."

Mateus watched him go before closing his door. He was fucking exhausted, even after sleeping so deeply that he had the most incredible dream he'd had in the longest time. Amid the world being destroyed, he stood atop a mountain. The only one with him was the one he had convinced to unleash her magic and cause such a scene, the tender girl with curly blue hair. How he carefully brought her to him and they danced. She looked at him, never breaking eye contact during every single step of that dance. He couldn't get it out of his head. He didn't want to. He would have continued it if he could. How he would have spread her beneath him atop that mountain and claimed her the way he claimed that earth as the only ruler left. His queen, his tender little conduit of magic. He sat upon his bed, lost in his imagination for a moment. How she would make every dream he had come true, and he would grant hers in return. To always be protected, to always love her... and as he could hear her moaning out in his mind, begging him for more, he reached into his pants and took care of a problem he'd woken up with and planned to deal with in the shower. He bit his lip, running his hand up and down himself repeatedly. Yes, he would have that dance with her, and then he would have her to himself. No need to share her time or ability with anyone else. No need for that... she would become all his, all... all his... He released into his hand, allow himself to feel the rush in his head. There was nothing like that sudden release after such a teasing build up. What a dream. _What. A. **DREAM**_.

* * *

Canti sat in the kitchen with her textbooks open. She was fully intending to go to the campus tomorrow. Having missed a day over stupid shit bothered her, but there was nothing that she could do about it. She was lost in her readings about history, writing down things in her notebook that she felt needed more reinforcement to help her remember them. Eventually everyone in the house made their way to that side of it, though none of them were exactly talking to each other. She glared at all of them, and then back to her book, and then back at them.

"Hey, baby," Cid said, walking up to her. "You know what you want to eat tonight?"

"I don't care," she said dismissively. "I'm really nervous about this world history exam set for tomorrow so I want to study for it more than I want to eat."

"You sure you don't want to play with me?" Kain asked, smiling, holding up his blue 3DS covered in dragon stickers. "I would enjoy having my rival to practice battle against before I take my team online. C'mon!"

"Kain, you know if you tempt me, I'm going to put this book down and do that all night, right? I know how I am. One battle won't be enough! By the time it hits midnight, I'll be making a whole new team and chain breeding to get the base forms of all of them, and I'll have not finished anything I was supposed to do tonight..." she said, sighing. "...That sounds way more fun than trying to cram a whole semester's worth of history lessons into one night!"

Mateus watched her movements carefully. He sat down in the living room, still observing her while holding a book of his own in his hands. He watched her mark her spot in the book and get up to slap her cousin playfully a few times. What they were talking about didn't matter. It was her mannerisms. She was having a hard time focusing while she was reading that book to begin with. She did a better job of it, the last time she was reading in the living room while her cousin was playing video games. Huh.

"What, aren't you failing world history?" Kain asked. "There's no reason to get yourself all bent out of shape over a subject you're just going to have to start over anyway."

"Since when were you failing world history?" Cid asked.

"Since I started taking it?" she asked. "I don't really like studying the world as it was. Never had much interest in that. I don't know why I took it, it doesn't really help me get my major at all."

"Yeah. So..." Kain held his 3DS up again. "Ah, look. It's telling me how it wants to play with yours!"

"...Cosmos help me," she said, walking back to her room to snatch up her system and box full of games. "Here I am, trying to be responsible, and here you are, trying to keep me from it!"

"Okay, yeah, whatever. You being responsible. That sounds like a load of shit to me," Kain laughed. He sat in the couch opposite of where Mateus was sitting. "C'mon, Uncle Cid. You have to officiate."

"No I don't," Cid said. "You two play it on the game instead of with the cards now, so I don't have to make sure you two are following the rules anymore. The game does that for you."

"It's tradition," Canti said, grunting at him, knowing exactly how much that meant to him. "If he's dragging me into this, I'm dragging you down with me." She sat down on the couch Mateus was sitting on, but she didn't even notice he was there next to her. "You let me assemble a team to take down this new terror you've got going on right now, and I'll be right on that."

"Pssh," Kain scoffed.

She turned to her game, fully concentrated on it. Mateus watched her go back and forth with taunts with her cousin. He understood it to a degree. That there was a sense of competition. He had never played a video game before so he wasn't exactly sure how the game functioned or what the purpose was. A few minutes after going completely silent, she looked up at Kain, straight at him with a twisted grin unlike any Mateus had ever seen her with. "...I'm ready."

"Now there's the face of my rival," he laughed. "Bring it on."

"I'm so going to kick your ass so hard you'll be begging me for-"

The doorbell rang, causing everyone to forget what was going on. No one was expecting company. Odd.

Cid was the one to answer the door. He pulled it open and stuck his head out to see someone very familiar standing there. He laughed, pulling the door further open. "What are you doing here, doc?" he asked, cocking his head to the side the same way his daughter was known to do.

"I didn't realize this would be your residence." When hearing that voice, Canti and Kain looked at each other. They both knew it well. They both closed their 3DS and got up to see what was going on. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Come on in, doc," Cid said, welcoming him into the house. "It's not the best, but you're more than welcome to it."

"That is kind of you," Dr. Wu said kindly.

"Did something come up later after we left?" Canti asked.

"No, no," the doctor answered, smiling gently towards her. "You've nothing to worry about. That's not why I'm here."

"Oh?" Cid asked.

Dr. Wu reached into his pocket, pulling out the same ad Mateus had showed them the day he moved in. "...I'm sorry to have to ask, but-"

"We totally have extra space, if you wanna put up with our bullshit," Kain said, shrugging. "Besides. Canti's almost always getting hurt or feeling sick, so it might be useful to have you here."

"Hey!" she shrieked at him, crossing her arms.

"You'd be more welcome housemates than the ones I just parted ways with," the doctor let out a little sigh. "I feel as if a literal despot would be a better housemate."

"We got one of those, too," Cid said, pointing at Mateus, who hadn't moved since he sat down earlier.

"Oh..."

"Doctor Wu, let me introduce you," Canti said. "That's Professor Mateus-"

"Palamecia," Dr. Wu finished her sentence. "...You think I don't know?"

"Is there a problem?" Mateus asked.

"If there is, it better be left at the door," Canti insisted. "Anyway, Mateus, this is the doctor that took care of me all night."

"My full name is Ming-Wu."

"Should we call you Ming, then?" she asked, blinking at him.

"I'd rather you not. When I moved here, my name was simplified. That is the name I use with friends and aquaintences," the doctor explained. "Please call me Minwu."

Mateus watched as Canti seemed excited by that. She gave the doctor a sudden hug, to which he accepted with no issues. Minwu seemed to be gentle enough to handle her despite the fact that she was so easily excited. He didn't once tell her to act her age, or even ask her to stop. He wondered if this new arrival would make it that much harder to bring his plans to fruition.

"Without even stopping to ask us if it's okay," Cid said, shrugging.

"I'm not even surprised," Kain said, shrugging the exact same way his uncle did. "She pretty much runs the show at this point."

"No foolin'," Cid agreed.


	9. Episode 9 - Goalkeeper

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: I don't own my fandoms.

Notes: I've been waiting to write this scene for a while, haha. I've wanted to use it in other fics, but I couldn't figure a way to make it work. It does here.

FIC START!

Episode 9

Even though the weekend was eventful, it was time to return to normal life all ready. Canti woke up before her alarm went off and slumped to the kitchen. She was a bit drowsy, but that didn't stop her from reaching for a Pop Tart packet in the cupboard. Kain walked through, watching her eat it without bothering to cook it, before starting up the coffee pot. Cid would be annoyed if that wasn't ready when he finally climbed out of bed. She slumped back to her room as she took another bite, seeing that both Minwu and Mateus were also out of their rooms. She yawned in greeting, fetching a few things out of the closet in the middle of the hall, and when Minwu tried to tell her good morning, she went back to her room without a cursory glance. He seemed intimidated at first, but Kain came through holding a bowl of cereal.

"Don't mind my cousin," he said, shaking his head. "She is not a morning person."

"It's also been a bit of a busy weekend for her, from what I've understood," Minwu said, sighing. "I take no offense."

"I started the coffee up if you're interested," he continued, kicking his room door open. "Don't bother sorting out who's cooking breakfast. Not enough time for that." Kain walked in, careful not to spill any of his cereal and closed the door the same way he opened it.

Canti didn't feel up to getting ready to head off to the university campus. She didn't want to be bombarded by her friends constant asking if she was holding up all right. She didn't want to deal with a class she was failing anyway. She dressed herself, braided her hair, grabbed up the bag she always carried, and let out yet another yawn. She stuffed her second pop tart packet into her bag. Snacks were always useful in getting through the day. If it was up to her, she'd spend all day at the music store sampling albums or something like that. She opened her door only to find Mateus standing there in the hallway - having dressed himself much more formally than she did in seemingly less time. How the hell did he even do that?! He seemed a bit surprised to see her standing there with such a unpleasant expression on her face.

"I'm off," she said, reaching into her denim jacket pocket to make sure she had her phone on hand. "Is my father out of bed yet?"

"I don't know," Mateus answered her honestly, his voice as smooth as silk. "I have yet to see him."

"Better go check on him, then," she grunted, turning that way. She headed down the hall further up to his door which had a lovely wooden plaque on it in the shape of a rocket and rose her fist up to it to give it a few good poundings. "Papa!" she called out. "Kain's gettin' the truck fired up soon, better getcher ass out of bed!"

The door opened and Cid stuck his head out, looking worse than she had seen him in quite some time. "To do that," he said, "I'd actually have to go to bed first."

"...Papa..." her eyes narrowed as she put her hands on her hips. "...were you really up all night?"

"Sorry, baby girl," he said, shrugging.

She crossed her arms. "I swear!" she shouted. "Am I the only functional adult around here!?"

Both Minwu and Mateus couldn't help thinking to themselves, _That's debatable at best._

"I was up workin'," Cid explained. "You know how I can get when I'm really into it."

"Papa, you're gonna make Mama's spirit upset!" she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe you wouldn't take care of yourself after you promised you would. After what happened last time! If I wasn't going to school today, I'd be making sure you'd be staying in bed!" She stomped off, completely ignoring Mateus when he seemed as if he wanted to ask her something. She marched straight through the living room and right through the door, closing it hard to make sure that Cid heard it.

Cid nodded. "I know," he whispered. "I know more than anyone..."

Kain stuck his head out of his door, this time having his hair pulled up in a ponytail. "The fuck did you do to set her off, Uncle Cid?"

"I haven't slept."

"No wonder she stomped out," he said, heading back there himself. "She takes that shit personally." He was pulling on a purple jacket, fumbling with his phone and wallet in one of the pockets, just make sure that they were both still there.

"I know..."

"...now she's gonna be worried about you all day. I'm gonna get a billion texts at work from Canti ranting about you out of worry, and she won't be able to concentrate on her classes. With no sleep, you can't even be around machinery."

"Kain, I'm sorry I burden you with your cousin's antics."

"You don't have to worry. I'm not going to lash out at Canti."

"You never have. Even though she is difficult and strange. And I'm sorry you've had to deal with this-"

"Shut the fuck up, Uncle Cid, and get some goddamn sleep before I get on your case," Kain grunted. "I'll be up at the shop if you need anything. I'll bring lunch, I'll get groceries, I'll run errands, I don't fucking care what I have to do to make sure you get some rest!" He turned around and began to head out himself. "Take care of yourself or Canti's going to believe that she's going to have to do it herself to prevent you ending up in the hospital again. You pay through the nose for her to attend univeristy, but she's failing several of her classes because her focus is literally everywhere else..."

Cid let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "I'm blessed to have the both of you," he muttered, turning to go back into his bedroom.

"Get some fucking sleep!" Kain shouted as he snatched up his keys from the hook on the wall. As much as he loved his family, he couldn't help but be annoyed. As he climbed into the truck, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to unlock it with a swipe, only to see he'd all ready had Canti worriedly message him. Just as predicted. Because of course. He wrote to her, letting her know that he gave her father a harsh tongue lashing himself after she left, and then there was nothing but silence on her end. He put the keys in the ignition and started up the truck, letting it rumble for a few moments before pulling back out of the driveway. A few water droplets landed on the windshield. He pressed the button to turn on the windshield wipers and drove away from the house, a bit lost in his still sleepy body, but knowing that if he didn't give his all, the entire family would fall apart.

* * *

Canti sat in the University Cafe, not really ready to attend any classes. She couldn't bring herself to think about literally anything other than the failing condition of her father, and his stubbornness. She knew that if she didn't do something about it, he was going to push himself beyond the point of no return. She feared that outcome more than she feared having to leave her classes - most of which she didn't give two shits about anyhow. It was her father's wish that lead her to attending university in the first place. And she wanted him to be happy. It was the least she could do considering he went out of his way to adopt her when no one else would.

"...is that everyone's favorite future Broadway star?" came a question behind her.

"You surely don't mean me," she said, turning around to address the asker.

She was greeted by one of her closest friends, the star goalkeeper of the university's soccer team, Hector Ostia. He sat down next to her, making her feel incredibly tiny. Even though Hector was also Kain's best friend, he always was there to look after her, too. She remembered that Hector was the one that sent the texts warning her of her ex-boyfriend's looking for her on campus. He ruffled her all ready curly blue mess of hair, not causing that much of a difference, except maybe giving her that much more static. "Of course I do."

"The day I get to be in a real musical is the day you get accepted for a European club team," she muttered.

Hector frowned for a second. "I can't tell if that's a lack of faith in yourself or in me, but either way, you're cold as ice. _Damn_ , Canti."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I couldn't help but notice you sitting here, looking like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders," Hector said. "You're my best friend's little sister-"

"Cousin?"

"He treats you like a little sister. It's hard to tell for an outsider."

"You're so full of shit."

"I'm being honest. If there's anything you can count on me for, I will never lie to you."

"Hector."

"Yes?"

"If you get time, will you stop by the shop and see Kain today? He's stressed out like crazy, and..."

"Oh, of course I will."

"Because if I can count on you for anything, it's not your honesty. It's your loyalty. You guys have been friends for what feels like forever, and..."

"...that face again," Hector said. "You really do look like you could break down and cry."

"I'm worried about my cousin and my dad. There's just so much going on..." She sniffled loudly, and Hector put his hand around her shoulder. For a moment, she turned to bury her face against him, and he only held her there. She didn't break into tears, but clearly she was holding them back. "...I don't know what to do!"

He nodded. "Yeah. I live with my older brother. We fight so much because of how different we are... Sometimes it just feels like everything is going to collapse in on us, despite the fact that I think we love each other. Don't quote me on that. I understand how you feel more than you might realize."

"...where are your parents?"

"Cancer took them, same as what my brother has." Canti suddenly felt bad for asking that question, but Hector didn't seem that effected by her asking it. "Fucking genetics at work. You know how it is."

"To an extent. Biology isn't my specialty."

"Even still, I also wanted to tell you about this," Hector said, fishing a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a tad crumbled and bent in a few places, but he still handed it to her anyway. "Thought you of all people might be interested."

Canti took the paper and tried to press it flat against the table to see it. Once she had, she was a tad surprised. It was a flyer calling for auditions for a stage musical being held here in Transgelda very soon. She couldn't help but well up with excitement. "...you remembered about this?" she asked, smiling. "Thank you so much, Hector."

"Hey, remember what you just said. If you get to be in a real musical, I'm going to get accepted to a team that might give me enough money to ensure my brother gets all the help he needs to get better," Hector said, shrugging. "You better land a part. My family's future's in your hands. So. As they say in show business, break a leg."

"I'll give it all I have!" she said, hugging around him suddenly.

"I know you will," he answered. "And I know that both Kain and your dad will be the most supportive... Not like Uther and my soccer."

"...you should tell me when your games play, that way we can be your family and cheer you on."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do." Canti nodded. "You're always there for me and Kain. Why shouldn't we do the same for you?"

"Aw. My stone heart is melting."

"I thought I was the one that was cold as ice?"

Hector picked himself up off the chair and grabbed his things. "You might be, but your heart hasn't hardened over the years. I'll drop by the shop and cheer up your asshole cousin, okay?"

"Thanks, man."

He waved as he passed through the cafe, leaving Canti to sit there by herself and stare at the crumpled up flyer in her hands. Even though Papa Cid was having such a hard time with his health, maybe this would be a chance to bring some positive news to him? She pulled out her phone and set it into her calendar. She just had to attend this audition, no matter what. She let out a sigh. Hector managed to bring her out of her depressive state. She was going to have to reward him somehow for that. She started to send her cousin a text, but then she noticed the time - it was about a seven minute walk to the classroom she was scheduled to be at, and she only had five minutes before it started. In a panic, she picked up everything and headed out the same way Hector did.

* * *

Cid sat at his desk, a pencil sticking out of his ear and another in his right hand, scribbling into a notebook. He was solving complex mathematical formulas, and every now and then he looked up at the framed picture of his family together that sat on the corner of his desk. Then he turned to the model on the other side of the desk, turning its parts. He went back to the math, biting his lip as his bad hand writing scratched out plenty more numbers. He let out a sigh of desperation. He'd been working on this for so long that it was starting to take its toll on his body. It was so difficult to stay on task when one was so exhausted, but he couldn't help himself. He had to keep pushing. He had to give his one and only daughter the chance... She had such a hard time here, so much of life made no sense to her...

"I know you feel out of place, baby girl," Cid said, looking at that family portrait. He picked the cigarette up from the nearby ashtray and took in a long, deep drag before pushing the smoke out. "I'll give you the chance to go to a place where you'd rather be, where you'd fit in better. I'll miss you, but what else can I do?"


	10. Episode 10 - Gardener

Braided Roses

Disclaimer: I don't own my fandoms. There's a lot of them. If you want to know every one of them, just ask.

Notes: *writes many pages upon pages of notes, and then deletes them because no one would read them*

FIC START!

The beginning of a new day was always Milich's favorite time. He was always up before the sun crackled the sky to wake up the city of Transgelda, because he loved to watch his beautiful flowers kissed by the dawn. He watched each flower as the sun illuminated it through the window of his greenhouse and stared at the sunflowers waking up to greet the sun. Each leaf was ready to accept all the food-creating light that it could catch. Milich paced himself around the greenhouse, observing each and every single plant with careful meticulousness. He carried a clipboard, documenting all of his findings in his gloriously fancy handwriting that went far beyond what was expected of any botanist to have. But this was a man of elegance. A man that epitomized the concept of grace. And as he eventually came to see a lonely flowerpot on its own filled with a single purple nightshade, he put his fingers atop the petals to enjoy the sensory against his skin. It made him think of the purple eyes of his coworker, the astronomy professor Mateus Palamecia, and he let out a sigh that could only be described as longing. What was his studious professor doing so early in the morning? What was he studying so insistently, with all of his being? Why would he lose himself in documentation of the past and in other languages? The way Milich saw it, the only language that mattered was one of passion - one that existed beyond mere words of writing or even speech. It was a feeling - a drive, even. Something he was absolutely convinced that Mateus could never bring himself to enjoy. _A sad existence_ , Milich thought. _To live without passion for life._ He grinned, pulling his finger away from the nightshade. He would get to see his studious coworker today, later. He couldn't contain his excitement. Perhaps he'd finally be able to get Mateus to agree to spending some time away from their mutual fields of study. He'd been asking for months and received not a single word of understanding, hell, barely any acknowledgement at all. Milich knew that if Mateus only agreed to come with him once, that they'd be able to connect. That he'd see it, feel it, _want it._

An alarm near by let off a soft buzz, and he picked up his clipboard and headed out of the greenhouse he'd built himself behind his somewhat small cottage, knowing that he was going to have to drive all the way from here out to the campus. He flicked a switch to enable automatic watering before heading into his home to make himself as beautiful as the headmaster of Transgelda University would allow him to be while teaching Botany. He pulled a fake rose from one of his display vases and tucked it behind his ear. He never would defile a real rose by picking it - only to watch it wither and die. Oh, today would be fantastic, yes it would. He couldn't hide how giddy he was as he skipped around his home, snatching up different things he needed to prepare himself for work. A razor to delicately shape his perfect facial hair to accent his face as expertly as possible, his bag of make up and hairbrushes, a cologne that gave him the scent of manliness and perfectly pruned roses. He sang and danced in the shower, enjoying the flow of steamy hot water all over his skin. It seemed as if everything was perfect in Milich's small, yet enjoyable world.

* * *

Mateus had no scheduled class for the day, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to be going to the University. He stopped by to pick up a hot cup of coffee at the cafe, letting his eyes trace along the students gathered. He saw a few that he knew, many more he'd seen in passing, but not the one he wanted to see. He passed through quickly to make his way to his office and unlock it. Even though it had only been since before the weekend that he'd been there, it felt as if it had been much longer since he'd sat at his desk. He pulled out the laptop in his briefcase and set it up. Everything seemed to be in order...

His phone lit up, not making any noise. He picked it up and put it to his ear. "Speak."

"Sir. We may have found the device."

"Is that so?" he asked. "Tell me of its location."

"A warehouse on the southern end of town."

"Do you know who owns it?"

"Sir, the building is owned by the Highwind Family. It is in Cid Highwind's name."

Mateus felt his eyebrows raise. "Oh. Do not make a move further. I will handle it myself." He hung up quickly, placing it on his desk. There was so much going on involving the Highwinds that it didn't surprise him that he had some odd attraction to the youngest heir of the family. How could the plans for the device to transcend this plane of existence belong to the same family as the closest lead he'd ever had to the workings of magic he'd ever found? It was perplexing, but enticing. He had to find a way to take this further, some way to get that much more involved with the family. Luckily for him, his student had taken a liking to him, despite knowing how her father would take it. He let out a small breath as the gears in his brain kept turning around and around, schemes of all kinds coming up in his brain, trying to fix them all together to bring about his master plan.

And then, a knock on his door.

"Enter," Mateus answered it plainly, not even looking up at it.

"I'm so glad that you're actually here today!" came that shrill voice that immediately made Mateus' mood turn sour. When he was feeling so damn good, to boot. "I haven't seen you since last week!"

"Milich, do you not have work to do?"

"Yes, I do, but I don't have to start it for a while," Milich answered, coming in. He spun around one one of his feet before stopping right in front of Mateus' desk to stare right at him. "So I've plenty of spare time. My classes all start after noon."

"Then what the hell are you doing here this early?"

"One, I wanted to see you. Two, I wanted to see _you_!"

Fantastic, Mateus thought, glaring up at Milich. It was the first time he'd let that fop have eye contact in at least a week. If there was anything he hated looking at on this planet, it was this man pretending at being a muskateer in such a modern age, with way too much makeup applied to his face for no other reason other than bringing attention to himself. "Forgive me for bringing it up, but if I were to refer to the rules of conduct between staff members, would it not frown upon your current behavior?" he asked calmly, looking back at his computer screen to bring up that program full of all the scanned images from Miss Highwind's diary that he'd been trying to translate between all of these interruptions from the world around him.

"It probably would," Milich answered. "Honestly, I don't care if I get fired-"

"I have bills to pay," Mateus nearly grumbled. "I need my position to survive, Professor Oppenhiemer. I will not have you compromising my livelihood with your insipid antics."

"I'm not trying to do you any harm. I just want to be friends with you."

"I do not need friends."

"Every human is social, and that includes you, Mateus."

He really hated it when Milich made that whiny tone of voice of his. It was worse than a woman's shriek when upset. He was doing nothing but acting like a spoiled child, and it was more than unnerving. He was tired of trying to force himself to keep up a working relationship with someone he couldn't stand. "Unfortunately," he replied, coldly. "What do you want with me?"

Milich leaned over the top of the desk as if he wanted to have his face closer to Mateus. The man was blushing, visible even though there was far too much makeup on his face. "Ever since I met you, I couldn't help but..."

"But what?"

"...I _like_ you."

"I hate to burst your bubble," Mateus said, typing the entire time he was speaking. "But I've no interest in romance. At least, not with a middle aged man still pretending he's in sixteenth-century France on a day to work."

"That means you might be _slightly_ inclined for romance, though?"

"No."

"My gaydar is never wrong, Mateus. The way you do your eyeshadow like that and the purple highlights in your exceedingly long blonde hair? I'm quite sure you're-"

"Get out of my office before I report you for sexual harassment," Mateus commanded without raising his voice. He wanted to yell at the man, and find a way to murder him as painfully as possible with all of his office supplies, but this would have to suffice. "Do not make assumptions based on my appearance. I am not interested in romance, I'm not interested in _you._ Get out."

"You must be lonely. Denying your own urges, and pushing away anyone that has given you any attention?"

Mateus stood up, glaring at him. Milich could see the electricity in his eyes begin to flare up, as if there were sparks within the deep purple surrounding his irises. He meant business. "I've had it up to here with you trying to force yourself into my life," he growled. "Leave."

Milich nodded, stepping back. Seemed as if he would break down and cry, but he did his best to keep his composure.

And then, yet another knock on his door.

"If you would kindly wait until I finish my current meeting-"

A pleasant surprise came when Canti stuck her head in the door. "Professor?" she asked, causing him to immediately shift moods.

"Ah! Miss Highwind," he said, completely ignoring Milich's very presence. "How can I help you?"

"I don't want to interrupt," she said bashfully.

"Don't mind him. I never do," Mateus answered. "What's the matter?"

Milich felt his face twitch. How could he be so nice to one of his students when he barely put a decent face on for anyone else?!

"I know I'll see you later anyway, but since I'll have the time, I'd like to start on that paper you assigned? I missed some of the details," Canti answered.

"One second," Mateus said, fishing out a paper from one of his files. "Here you are. Due at the end of the week. But, if I know you as well as I think I do, you'll be up working on it all night tonight."

"Why are you always right?" she asked, sticking the paper into one of her folders.

 _Always?!_ Milich thought. J _ust how well did these two know each other?!_

"I wish I could answer you without sounding pompous."

"Thank you," she said. "I'll leave you be. Seems like you're busy."

"Never too busy to help a student seeking knowledge as fiercely as you do."

She blushed and giggled a bit nervously, but then she immediately turned around and left his office, waving as she closed the door behind her.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Milich barked. "You treat me like I'm some sort of petulant child-"

"Because you _are_."

"-but when an actual child comes into your office, you treat her as if you're more than just a student and teacher."

"Milich. Get out of my office."

"I can't believe you're in love with a student..."

Mateus had quite enough. He raised his right hand and slapped it across Milich's face harder than he'd ever slapped anyone, ever. It left a stinging sensation on Milich's face, causing him to try to rub his skin to get it to stop prickling. "I do not love a student. That would be taking advantage of my position, which I will never do. That girl just happens to be a member of my household currently. Nothing more."

"I'm... I'm sorry, Mateus." Milich whimpered. "I- I didn't mean..." He bit his lip and looked down at the floor. The last thing he wanted was for the object of his affection to absolutely hate him, but it seemed like there wasn't anything he could do about it. How was he supposed to know that one of his students was living with him...? _Wait_... He just repeated that thought in his head. Mateus said that the girl was a member of his household now, right? That means, they were sharing living space. "...I'm so sorry."

"Your jealousy has stepped far too many boundaries, and for no reason. I've had quite enough of your nonsense. Leave."

"All right..." Milich simply walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind him.


	11. Episode 11 - Stranger

**Braided Roses**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of my fandoms, and there's quite a few present.

Notes: *points at the stack of burning papers on her desk* Oh, y'mean that?

FIC START!

Kain sat at the front desk of the Highwind Motors shop, resting his head on his left hand while turning through pages of a magazine with his right. The shop had been empty all morning and there was no way he was going into the back of the shop when no one was here with him today. He couldn't get any mechanical work done if he was stuck up here, and he hated being at the desk more than he'd ever hated any other job position before. Boredom was not something Kain coped well with. It always led to him thinking about things he wasn't supposed to be thinking about, and well, that was never a good thing. He all ready had bouts of depression that he never talked with anyone about. His eyes went from picture to picture, and he didn't even bother reading the captions.

The door chime rang, and he straightened himself, pushing his long blonde hair from his face. "Welcome to Highwind Motors," he said with a forced cheerfulness.

"Damn, Canti was right."

"Oh," Kain slumped back over. "If it's just you, I don't have to do that whole act."

"...what if I wanted to spend money, like an actual customer?"

"Sure, that's what you're doing here with a bag of Dragon Tacos. Obviously."

Hector stepped up to the counter and passed the bag over to his best friend. "Cheer the fuck up," he said. "Or, what was it she wanted me to say to you? I don't even remember."

"You spoke with my cousin this morning?"

"Sure did. She's almost as bummed as you are," Hector said, shrugging. "It's hard to beat that pouty face."

"I'm not pouting."

"Not outwardly anyhow."

"You don't get it, Hector."

"Try me. You know my situation well enough."

"It's not just that my uncle seems to be pushing himself to an early grave on purpose. You know that if he dies, I'm going to be taking care of my cousin, right?"

"Not that it's a bad thing? You two get along better than most siblings I've known," Hector reached into the bag and pulled out a taco before taking a bite so big that he damn near ate the whole crunchy thing in one go. "Eat your damn taco. The smell's driving me crazy."

"I don't mind taking responsibility," he sighed, pulling the other taco out of the bag and unwrapping it slowly. "I do love her, of course."

"But you're unhappy with the idea."

Kain took a decently sized bite as he muttered, "Fuck Transgelda. I hate this place! My dad died while living here, and then my aunt. I've been stuck in this motor shop for years. It's not bad work, when I get to be in the back, actually working... Last thing I want is to be stranded here."

Hector took a moment to look at the pictures on the walls of the motor shop. Many of them were posters and diagrams of motors and ribbons won through many contests they shop had participated in throughout their history. There was a damn good reason why Highwind Motors was a popular spot to look into a tune-up for the locals. "I understand. It's a huge sprawling university town, and..."

"...no one that lives here seems to ever achieve their dreams," Kain continued. "You ever notice that? Everyone that lives here dies unsatisfied."

"We all ready know where you wanna be," Hector said, pointing at his magazine. "You ever talk to your family about finally moving out and doing your own thing?"

"I can't leave. Canti wouldn't take it well, and, like I said, Cid's a fucking mess. I can't make heads or tails of what he wants anymore. Being the head of the family must be draining him. So no matter how badly I want to go to flight school..."

"Dude. Stop being an honorable little shit and follow your heart or something!"

"You just fight with Uther, it's not like you'd understand what it's like being in my position!"

"Goddamn it, Kain. All your family wants is for you to be happy and it's like you refuse to be. If you were to tell them that you wanted to leave to go to flight school, they'd see you off. You know they'd support you. My brother hates the fact that I'm just trying to make it as an athelete, says I should be more than that. I'm doing what I want to do no matter what he tries to tell me about it. The last thing I want is to see my best friend mopey all the time!"

"Hector..."

"...it hurts, because I know that if you were to set out doing what your heart is set on, you'd be great at it. Not a failure like me."

"You're not a failure. The only other family you have is Uther, so you have that freedom."

Hector finished his taco and licked his fingers before crumpling the bag up and tossing it across the lobby to land neatly in the trashcan. "You don't think my working out and constant dieting and all that other expected athelete bullshit doesn't take away from time I could be spent working a part time job trying to keep our family afloat? Eating cheap carbs just to save money? Maybe Uther's right, and I'm using our parents' savings chasing a stupid fucking dream because I'm a selfish asshole."

Kain reached across the counter and grabbed Hector by the collar with his right hand and clenched his left into a fist. "Fucking. Stop. That."

"Which won't amount to anything because I'm so goddamn useless!"

"Hector, I said-"

When Kain stopped to look into his best friend's deep, dark blue eyes, all he could see was just how depressed he was. How tears were forming and beginning to fall. "You think I don't feel that in every single moment I'm alive, man? Because I... I do. And of all the people I've ever known, I know that you could make something of yourself if you actually got up off your ass and actually did it."

Kain let him go and picked up his taco to finish it. "I don't have dreams, man... I can't afford them."

Hector wiped his eyes. "Then... I'll see you some other time, Kain." He tried to force a smile, but it just wouldn't happen. "Bye." Within a few minutes, he was gone.

Kain looked back down at his magazine before closing it and putting it away. It was difficult having to say it that way, but what else could he do? He didn't need to be distracted by someone else being so hopeful. He couldn't afford to think like that, not when others depended on him to keep them sane. He sighed audibly, feeling tears burn in the back of his eyes. There went his last friend from his school days. It would be a hell of a lot more lonely in the future...

* * *

Canti sat down at a picnic table underneath awning, pulling out the assignment sheet that she asked for. She set her text books onto the table and cracked them open. As much as she appreciated the grand art of astronomy, she had other things on her mind right now. Every time her phone buzzed she looked at it. Augh. This university thing wasn't really working out. She couldn't help but feel like she needed to be elsewhere, doing something that really kept her attention.

"What are you working on?"

"I'm having the hardest time focusing all ready, I don't need anyone to interrupt me," she said, not looking up at the speaker that was standing across the table from her.

"Yeah, I can see that. That's kind of why I came over here. Thought I might help."

When she looked up, she locked eyes with someone that she'd seen quite a lot before, but her mind didn't quite register who he was. Canti went back to her books and clicked her pen, beginning to write a few things down onto paper. "I don't see how inviting yourself helps with their inability to concentrate..."

"Because I don't think it's a concentration issue, I think it's a distraction issue."

"Aren't _you_ being a distraction?"

"I don't have to be."

She growled in frustration. Maybe she should have asked Mateus if she could borrow his office instead of trying to come out here where others could bother her? Though that wouldn't have ended well, and she knew it. She began to pick everything up. The library wasn't that far away. She didn't have to deal with anyone talking there, at the very least.

"Your heart aches, doesn't it?" the visitor asked, cocking his head to the side ever so. "Why do you not talk about it with someone?"

Once everything was in her bag, she finally looked him in the eyes. They were a calming, brilliant shade of hazel. Canti knew those eyes. He carried himself like a gentleman, which was odd for a university student. "Because the people I can talk to can't do anything about the things that bother me," she answered honestly. Why'd she tell him that? "Even if I feel slightly better, doesn't mean I don't go home to be faced with everything again."

"So your distraction is simply a symptom for a greater problem," he said, nodding. "I'm not surprised by that. It's the one reason I left home."

"Left home?" she asked.

"I had to. When you're a kid, you don't have any power or agency to get away from the problems your parents cause," he said, pushing up the glasses that were riding on the bridge of his nose. "But being an adult, you can make your own choices. Including distancing yourself from things you don't want haunting you any more."

"...that's great for you and all, but I love my family," Canti snapped.

"You think I do not love mine?"

"Not if you abandon them like that."

"Sometimes, you just have to do what is best for you. You may love your family, but what use is that love if it keeps you chained down?"

She had done everything she could to keep herself from really paying too much attention to this rando up to this point. She looked into his eyes once, and refused to look at him again. She tried to be defensive, but not mean. She didn't want to go out of her way to be mean to someone she had no reason to be mean to... but this guy was pushing it. "All right, whatever," Canti said dismissively. "Listen. I'm going over there-" she pointed at the door to the library. "-and I would highly appreciate it if you didn't follow me. Can you do that for me?"

"If it will make you smile, I'd do anything for you. Even... keep my distance."

"That's great," Canti grunted, picking herself up from the bench. She walked briskly before shoving her full weight against the door to make it open. A few passerby stared at her, but didn't make much of it aside from their initial confusion as to her demeanor.

 _...I don't think she recognized me..._

* * *

Cid took another drag on his cigarette, not even bothering to knock off the little bit of ash at the end of it. The nearby ashtray overflowed with other cigarette butts. He scratched the back of his head underneath his goggle-strap. Even though he hadn't slept in days, he couldn't stop working on the mass of calculations he had stumbled upon within his last session. He knew he was on the verge of a breakthrough in creating the machine that would be the final gift to his beloved daughter, he could just _feel_ it. And how it lit a fire within him, knowing that it would be what set everything right in the world. He kept scribbling down numbers, one after the other, his pencil sliding around in his hand from how much he sweat all over it. He needed a shower and to sleep for a week. He needed to eat more than just leftover pizza and other takeout. He really needed to apologize to those kids and tell them how much he loved them, despite making life so much harder on him than it needed to be.

There was a calm knock on his door after what could have been five minutes, or five hours. He couldn't really tell.

"Whaddya want?"

"Mr. Highwind, I must insist that you turn your lamp off and get some rest."

"I'mma kick your ass out of my house if you keep tellin' me what to do."

The door opened slowly, and the young medical student shook his head. "I'm sorry, Cid. I can't let you destroy your well being on purpose like this. It goes against every oath I've taken," Minwu walked in and took the pencil out of the old pilot's hand. "In bed. _Now_."

"Listen here, you-" Cid stood up and seemed ready to deck him, but he was too tired to muster up any strength.

"I've seen enough," Minwu said, leading him over to his bedside and giving him a gentle push so he'd fall into it. "I imagine you were married at one point, and you had someone that took care of you through spots like this. I'm not your wife, and I'm not going to tell you to remarry, but perhaps for the sake of your daughter, you need someone to look after you." He collected some of the dirty dishes and multiple full ashtrays strewn about the nightstand and Cid's desk to carry them to the kitchen. "I can tell that she wants to do it. You can't let her do that... Now. If I see the light in here again, I'm going to inject some sleep into your system!"

"...you don't get it," Cid grumbled from his bed.

"What don't I get? You're working yourself to death because you want to make life so much better for Canti and Kain, when all you're doing is driving yourself to an early grave? You miss your wife so much that you want to die to be with them? Truth is, your depression spreads to them."

"How would _YOU_ know? You ain't lived here a day!"

"...it's not that difficult to see, Cid."


End file.
